Dear Colleagues,

Global climate (e.g., ocean warming, ocean acidification, heavy seasonal rainfall) and local anthropogenic stressors (e.g., land runoff, overfishing) impact fragile marine life worldwide. Terrestrial run-off from farming transport sediments, nutrients and freshwater into coastal marine areas contributing to algal blooms thus reducing light availability. Consequently, land run-off disrupts biogeochemical nutrient cycles and biodiversity of such fragile coastal habitats like seagrass meadows and coral reef systems. Continuously degrading water quality is a fundamental issue compromising marine health (i.e., outbreak of invasive species and microbial diseases). On the other hand, deep-sea habitats (i.e., hydrothermal vents) are increasingly exploited for minerals. Mining activities disrupt deep-sea life causing sediment clouds and potentially releasing toxic metals.

This section focuses on changes in diversity, metabolic function and resilience of microbial to macrobial marine life spanning from coastal areas to deep-sea vent research. A priority should be raising awareness and encouraging investing into the full assessment of issues impacting marine diversity and metabolic function. This understanding can contribute immensely to developing early warning bioindicator systems. The section intends to collect research contributing to elucidating effects of certain pollutants, bioindicator research for monitoring (diagnostic tools for early warning systems and disease detection), habitat conservation and resource management, controlling of anthropogenic impacts (agricultural or fisheries management) and policy making. 

Novel research articles and reviews on these topics of interest are invited for submission.

Looking forward to receiving your articles, I remain respectfully yours.

Dr. Verena Witt

Section Editor