Reviews in Marine Ecosystem Ecology: 2026

Marine ecosystem ecology has advanced rapidly in recent decades, yet important knowledge gaps remain about how biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human pressures are linked. Foundational syntheses have stressed the need to better understand species interactions, ecosystem processes, and environmental drivers, and to improve how we assess ecosystem health and responses to cumulative stressors. Meanwhile, marine systems are undergoing unprecedented change driven by climate change, biological invasions, habitat loss, and intensifying human activities. Despite a growing body of empirical studies, knowledge remains dispersed across disciplines, scales, and regions, and there is limited integration of social–ecological dimensions and governance perspectives. Comprehensive, integrative reviews are therefore essential for consolidating current understanding, identifying emerging paradigms, and guiding future research and policy in marine ecosystem ecology.This Research Topic aims to synthesize the current state of knowledge in marine ecosystem ecology by bringing together high-quality reviews on key conceptual, methodological, and applied challenges in the field. Although primary research is rapidly expanding, integrative assessments are needed to achieve a mechanistic and predictive understanding of ecosystem structure and function. Major challenges include linking biodiversity to ecosystem processes, quantifying ecosystem change, understanding cumulative human impacts, and evaluating the effectiveness of conservation and management strategies. This includes climate-ready conservation, adaptive management, and spatial planning under uncertainty.This collection aims to provide authoritative syntheses that consolidate scattered evidence, evaluate methodological advances (e.g., ecosystem assessment, modelling, monitoring), and identify research gaps and future priorities, including emerging approaches such as omics-based tools, artificial intelligence, and integrated observing systems. The goal is to support evidence-based management, inform policy frameworks aligned with SDG 14 and SDG 13, and promote ecosystem-based and sustainability-oriented approaches, including equitable and inclusive governance and the integration of Indigenous and local knowledge systems.We invite comprehensive review papers on key themes in marine ecosystem ecology. Accepted article types are reviews, systematic reviews, mini reviews, and policy and practice reviews. Relevant topics include: (i) biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships; (ii) ecosystem structure, processes, and resilience; (iii) ecosystem shifts, habitat loss, and restoration, including nature-based solutions and blue carbon ecosystems; (iv) functional and integrative ecosystem assessments; (v) cumulative impacts of human pressures, climate change, and biological invasions; (vi) ecosystem-based management, conservation effectiveness, and policy integration, including climate-ready conservation, climate refugia, and adaptive spatial planning; (vii) assessing ecological status and ocean health, including social–ecological dimensions and links to human well-being, and (viii) advances in monitoring, modelling, and indicators of ocean health, including the use of new technologies, such as omics approaches (e.g., eDNA), autonomous observing systems, artificial intelligence, and digital twins of marine ecosystems.Submissions should provide critical, forward-looking syntheses that advance theoretical understanding and/or inform management and conservation. We encourage contributions linking ecological knowledge to ecosystem function, assessment, and management. Interdisciplinary perspectives, especially those connecting ecological science with policy, sustainability frameworks, and the social sciences, are especially welcome. Topic editors: Stelios Katsanevakis, Susana Carvalho, Jesper H. Andersen, Bernardo Antonio Perez Da Gama, Ibon Galparsoro, Chiara Piroddi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80087/reviews-in-marine-ecosystem-ecology-2026