Life originated in the oceans, and today marine environments host representatives of almost all extant phyla, some of which include exclusively marine species. The marine realm can be considered a distinctive evolutionary playground since marine organisms experience peculiar chemo-physical conditions and ecological relationships that shape both the short and long-term evolutionary trajectories of species. Despite over a century of investigation, our knowledge of marine biodiversity and our understanding of the evolutionary processes acting in marine environments are still far from complete. Indeed, the investigation of the evolutionary patterns accounting for marine species diversity and adaptations, as well as their plastic response to a changing world, are at the core of modern marine biology. Advances in the understanding of the drivers and mechanisms underlying marine evolution are also imperative to improve current predictions on the fate of global biodiversity, and particularly timely in the framework of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

The First Italian Conference on Marine Evolution EVOLMAR 2020 was organized on these premises with the support of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN Naples, Italy) and the Italian Society for Evolutionary Biology (SIBE-ISEB), and held in a virtual format on 23-25th November 2020. The desire to maintain an active exchange of ideas among scientists studying marine evolution, despite the severe limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemics, fueled vibrant participation from all over the world. The high level of engagement of students and early career researchers reflects the vitality of a scientific field that is growing at a fast pace. EVOLMAR 2020 featured contributions of a high scientific level, covering a wide range of multidisciplinary studies, from molecules to organisms, many of which could be published in this research topic.

Authors who presented a contribution to the Conference, both in the form of an oral presentation and of a poster, are encouraged to submit their studies. Manuscripts within the scope of the four thematic symposia of EVOLMAR 2020 will be accepted: Adaptation, Population and Species, Biodiversity, and Macroevolution.

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Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

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