Helgoland Marine Research is an open access, peer reviewed journal, publishing original research as well as reviews on all aspects of marine and brackish water ecosystems, with a focus on how organisms survive in, and interact with, their environment. The aim of Helgoland Marine Research is to publish work with a regional focus, but with clear global implications, or vice versa; research with global emphasis and regional ramifications. We are particularly interested in contributions that further our general understanding of how marine ecosystems work, and that concentrate on species’ interactions. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Ecological dynamics Life cycles Biological oceanography Environmental biology Physiology and behaviour Morphology, evolution and taxonomy Cultivation and techniques Since Helgoland Marine Research is an electronic-only journal no size limitations exist for contributions submitted to the journal. This means that we also can publish encompassing studies or reviews on relevant subjects. Helgoland Marine Research is the official journal of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. Launched in 1938, the journal became fully Open Access in January 2016.