About this Research Topic

Background

Anthropocene has become an environmental and political buzzword ever since Paul Crutzen popularized it in 2000. Today, our planet is facing a global change era, and at the same time biological invasions are one of the main human-driven process and one of the major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at the global scale. The ever-increasing global spread of invasive alien species leads to serious damages to human economic activities such as forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and it is a hindrance to international trade. The massive presence of invasive alien species in many cases has created brand new ecosystems. Throughout the world, there are both success stories of invasive species control and outstanding failures, leading to the need of managing these novel ecosystems and to coexist with them. In addition, a large number of alien species are not invasive and are key species for agriculture, bio-based products, landscaping, and many other uses. They supply numerous raw materials and characterize landscapes, traditions, human culture and anthropic systems in every part of the world.

This general trend does apply to aquatic ecosystems as well, due to their intense exploitation for multiple purposes. Freshwater networks have become one of the main corridor promoting the human-mediated and natural spread of many alien species. In addition, the severe impairment of global water quality, as well as the substantial tampering of flow regimes by climate change has very frequently favored the establishment of new invaders. It is not unexpected, therefore, that a significant portion of invasive alien species is harbored by aquatic ecosystems, with the appearance of novel ecosystems that include alien plants and animals.

While the impact of invasive alien species on the diversity of aquatic ecosystems is commonly accepted, a limited number of studies have focused on their multiple roles in new habitats (including also marginal contexts). There is an urgent need to help fill this gap, also considering human heritage values. Particularly, we are interested in expanding the comprehension of the biology, dynamics and ecology of alien plants in aquatic and riparian ecosystems, including – among others – structure, diversity, function, and services. This is fundamental to improve our knowledge of resilience, spread patterns across scales and contexts, and to develop control and prevention measures, or no intervention strategies. It is also crucial to study the ecosystems balance dynamics.

In this context, some prominent questions are:
• Can alien species and related novel ecosystem rearrangement play a strategic role to foster biodiversity, productivity, resistance of ecosystems facing human pressure (desertification, urbanization, deforestation, pollution, landforms and climate changes)?
• Can alien species in freshwaters be a critical problem in some contexts while an asset in others?

Outlooks and unbiased discussions about these issues can be of wide interest, in land and ecosystem management policies, in human heritage preservation, and natural resources management strategies. This Research Topic will bring together these issues to improve the development of knowledge, transcending the classical paradigm on the expected one-way role of alien species in ecosystems, being invasive alien the ones commonly most addressed.

As in literature there is only little evidence to support a “non-negative” role of alien plants in freshwater ecosystem, this Research Topic pursues the objective to collect a series of high-quality articles focusing on the multiple roles played by invasive and non-invasive alien plants in aquatic ecosystems. This embraces a wide variety of critical themes, including biogeochemical, trophic and competitive interactions between species, spatial and temporal species’ dynamics, co-occurrence and species’ association, and traits both at the individual (species) and community (habitat) level. This Research Topic also welcomes submissions related to functions and services, impaired or enhanced by aquatic alien plants. We therefore encourage interdisciplinary submissions across ecology and biology of aquatic alien plants.

Photo Credit: Dr Rossano Bolpagni - Nelumbo nucifera in Mantua lakes (northern Italy)

Keywords: Non-Native Macrophytes, Biological Invasions, Ecosystem Processes, Biotic-Abiotic Interactions, Aquatic Ecosystems

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.