Dear Colleagues,

Nearshore ecosystems contain most of the ocean’s highly productive waters and varied habitats that support a range of phyla more diverse than that which terrestrial ecosystems hold. This band of water spanning continents and islands extends seaward from the intertidal zone out through the subtidal to a depth of 90 meters and envelops most of the marine biodiversity hotspots. The valuable services provided by nearshore ecosystems are as diverse as their plant and animal inhabitants. Among the marine ecosystems, nearshore biodiversity has the deepest history of exploration, exploitation, and benefits to society. Yet, as coastal sea water temperatures, sea levels, sea water chemistries, and coastal currents change, the populations of the nearshore benthos are reduced, restructured, and replaced. These consequences are understood through the altered phenology of life histories, changed abundance and genetic diversity, species range shifts, and modified ecosystem functions.

This Special Issue will highlight recent advances in research on nearshore biodiversity, covering its relationship with biogeography, coastal oceanographic processes, ecosystem functions, species introductions and range shifts, community ecology and genetics. Research concerned with the interactions of commercial harvesting, aquaculture and pollution with nearshore biodiversity is also invited. In summary, this collection aims to present, in a broad sense, a global comparison of nearshore biodiversity and the drivers of change.

Prof. Dr. Thomas J. Trott
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biogeography
• oceanography
• range shifts
• coastal
• distributions
• community ecology