Molecular Frontiers in Tropical Estuaries: Integrating Applied Genetics and Resource Conservation

Tropical coastal zones and estuaries are highly dynamic and heterogeneous environments that support critical life cycles of numerous marine and estuarine species. Understanding how these populations are structured, how they connect across space, and how they respond to environmental shifts is vital for their long-term conservation. However, tracing the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of coastal species using traditional monitoring methods can be remarkably challenging due to environmental turbidity, complex life histories, and morphological similarities among closely related taxa. Applied genetics provides a powerful toolkit to overcome these limitations, offering deep insights into the hidden mechanisms that govern population persistence and community structures in these vulnerable ecosystems.The main objective of this research topic is to explore the diverse practical applications of genetic and molecular tools to unravel species ecology, promote resource conservation, and enhance environmental and fisheries resource management in tropical coastal areas. This collection emphasizes a comprehensive ecological, evolutionary, and managerial perspective, bringing together studies that utilize molecular data to understand how populations change, migrate, adapt, and interact in tropical estuaries. By integrating molecular biology with coastal ecology and fisheries science, this topic seeks to provide robust, science-based evidence to support habitat protection, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable governance of marine and multispecies fisheries resources.We invite studies focused on tropical coastal and estuarine environments worldwide. Submissions must demonstrate clear applications of molecular techniques to solve ecological questions, enhance conservation strategies, or improve aquatic resource frameworks. Specific themes include, but are not limited to:- Diverse molecular markers (e.g., microsatellites, SNPs, DNA barcoding) to unravel species ecology, life history, and cryptic diversity;- Spatial genetic structure, gene flow, and population connectivity across estuarine gradients to support marine protected area plannin- Environmental DNA (eDNA) and metabarcoding for multi-species monitoring, community dynamics, and coastal habitat use;- Molecular forensics, wildlife tracking, and seafood traceability protocols to combat illegal fishing and enhance commercial chain governance;- Integrating genetic indicators (e.g., effective population size, diversity loss) into fisheries management and stock vulnerability assessments;- Evolutionary dynamics, adaptive genetic variation, and population resilience to human-induced stressors in tropical coastal regions. Topic editors: Ítalo Lutz, Valdemiro Muhala, Grazielle Evangelista Gomes Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82301/molecular-frontiers-in-tropical-estuaries-integrating-applied-genetics-and-resource-conservation