Plant Epigenetics: Advancing Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2025 | Viewed by 235

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Interests: epigenetic responses of forests to climate change
College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: epigenetic plasticity; transcriptional reprogramming; gene environment interactions

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Biology Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou 416000, China
Interests: ecological epigenetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapidly changing climate poses unprecedented challenges to plant ecosystems, marked by shifting temperature regimes, fluctuating water availability, more frequent extreme phenology events, and rising atmospheric CO2 levels. These environmental stressors not only hinder plant growth and productivity but also threaten biodiversity and the stability of ecosystems worldwide. As traditional domestication and genetic modification techniques often fall short in addressing the rapid pace of climate change, the field of plant epigenetics offers a promising alternative.

Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) allow plants to modulate gene expression without altering their genetic code. This ability to make rapid and reversible changes in traits provides a unique pathway for enhancing resilience and adaptability. Understanding and leveraging these epigenetic responses hold significant potential for developing climate-resilient plants, preserving biodiversity of forest ecosystems, and promoting sustainable agricultural systems. As such, plant epigenetics stands at the forefront of innovative strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change on global plant life.

We invite researchers working in the dynamic field of plant epigenetics to submit their contributions to this Special Issue. We seek to highlight innovative findings, methodologies, and insights into the future directions of plant epigenetics research, particularly in the context of global climate change.

This Special Issue aims to enhance our understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms can support plant resilience and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. We look forward to your valuable contributions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  1. Mechanistic Insights into Epigenetic Regulation.
  2. Epigenetic Memory and Transgenerational Inheritance.
  3. Advances in Epigenetic Tools and Techniques.
  4. Epigenomics and Phenotypic Plasticity.
  5. Implications for Agriculture and Conservation.
  6. Tree Epigenetic responses to climate change.

We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Qingzhu Zhang
Dr. Shahid Ali
Dr. Bowei Chen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mechanistic insights into epigenetic regulation
  • epigenetic memory and transgenerational inheritance
  • advances in epigenetic tools and techniques
  • epigenomics and phenotypic plasticity
  • implications for agriculture and conservation
  • tree epigenetic responses to climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

25 pages, 1084 KiB  
Review
Epigenetics in Plant Response to Climate Change
by Wei Zhou, Min Wang, Lishan Wang, Yinghui Liu, Zaimin Tian, Linan Xie and Yu Wang
Biology 2025, 14(6), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060631 - 29 May 2025
Abstract
Since the last glacial maximum, the Earth has experienced drastic climate changes. However, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, human activities have abruptly intensified, altering the planet’s climate patterns. Climate models predict that over the next hundred years, the globe will experience [...] Read more.
Since the last glacial maximum, the Earth has experienced drastic climate changes. However, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, human activities have abruptly intensified, altering the planet’s climate patterns. Climate models predict that over the next hundred years, the globe will experience even more drastic changes than those observed in the past 20,000 years. Understanding how plants adapt to environmental changes has thus become a critical research priority. Currently, evidence suggests that plants adapt to environmental changes primarily through two distinct pathways: one mediated by genetic variation and the other involving the direct or indirect participation of epigenetic modifications. Given the unprecedented rate of contemporary climate change, epigenetic mechanisms may exert a more immediate and flexible influence than genetic modifications. Epigenetics, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA, plays an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation process and affects the growth and development of plants, as well as their responses to environmental changes. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on the epigenetic mechanisms underlying plant responses to environmental changes and examine the dynamic interplay between epigenetic regulation and environmental stimuli, aiming to provide insights into enhancing the tolerance of plants to environmental stress factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Epigenetics: Advancing Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change)
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