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Biology
Special Issues
Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress
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Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 16509

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mario Pagano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
Interests: plant biology; food security; THz imaging; enzyme; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sonia Del Prete

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Interests: biochemistry; molecular biology; enzyme; gene expression; plant sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental stress has played a crucial role in the evolution of living organisms, highlighting the critical interaction between organisms and their environments. Both abiotic and biotic stressors force species to continuously adapt and evolve. For instance, terrestrial ecosystems confront heightened frequencies and intensities of extreme events, such as droughts and wildfires. Climate change intensifies these challenges, aggravated by factors such as habitat fragmentation and invasive species, precipitating profound and irreversible ecological shifts at local and global levels, and jeopardizing environmental, socio-economic and cultural integrity. Recently, the surge in urbanization has introduced additional environmental stressors for living organisms, including sound waves emitted by industrial machinery or vehicles.

We warmly welcome researchers to contribute papers or reviews that explore various aspects of the adaptation of species to environmental stress.

In particular, this Special Issue aims to delve into, though not exclusively, the following inquiries:

  • How do elements such as silicon, carbon or nitrogen influence terrestrial ecosystems?
  • What are the global repercussions of climate change and how do they impact worldwide ecosystems?
  • Can certain elements mitigate the effects of global change on our ecosystems?
  • Do the acoustic emissions occurring worldwide induce specific genetic or functional alterations in living organisms?

The objective of this Special Issue is to comprehensively understand how diverse changes, such as acoustic or climatic ones, influence living species within our ecosystems and the potential consequences on a global scale.

Manuscripts exploring theoretical frameworks, controlled field experiments and/or laboratory investigations are warmly encouraged.

Dr. Mario Pagano
Dr. Sonia Del Prete
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adaptation
  • environmental stress
  • evolutionary response
  • physiological adaptation
  • behavioral adaptation
  • morphological adaptation
  • climate change
  • conservation biology
  • biodiversity
  • ecological resilience
  • sound waves

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 3032 KiB  
Article
Novel Insights and Genomic Characterization of Coral-Associated Microorganisms from Maldives Displaying Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and UV-Protectant Activities
by Fortunato Palma Esposito, Andrea López-Mobilia, Michael Tangherlini, Vincenza Casella, Alessandro Coppola, Giulia Varola, Laura Vitale, Gerardo Della Sala, Pietro Tedesco, Simone Montano, Davide Seveso, Paolo Galli, Daniela Coppola, Donatella de Pascale and Christian Galasso
Biology 2025, 14(4), 401; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14040401 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 640
Abstract
Coral reef survival is crucial for the socio-ecological interest of many countries, particularly for the Republic of Maldives, whose reef integrity influences the country’s livelihoods and economy. These ecosystems are being severely impacted by multiple stressors, leading to declines in biodiversity. In the [...] Read more.
Coral reef survival is crucial for the socio-ecological interest of many countries, particularly for the Republic of Maldives, whose reef integrity influences the country’s livelihoods and economy. These ecosystems are being severely impacted by multiple stressors, leading to declines in biodiversity. In the last few decades, researchers have focused on studying coral-associated microorganisms (CAMs) and their symbiotic role in coral health and resilience. Metabarcoding analysis has been widely utilized to study CAM diversity under various conditions but provides limited information on their functional roles. Therefore, cultivation of bacterial strains remains indispensable for validating ecological and biotechnological hypotheses. In this study, we investigated the microbial community associated with two abundant corals in Maldives, Porites lobata and Acropora gemmifera, and evaluated the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and UV-protectant properties of 10 promising isolated strains. The selected CAMs, Pseudoalteromonas piscicida 39, Streptomyces parvus 79, Microbacterium sp. 92 (a potential novel species), and Micromonospora arenicola 93, exhibited antibiotic activity against a panel of pathogenic strains (MIC from 0.01 to 500 µg/mL), antioxidant (comparable effect to that of Trolox and ascorbic acid), and UV-screen activities (protection of human keratinocytes at 200 µg/mL). Genomes revealed their dual potential in contributing to coral restoration and drug discovery strategies. These findings highlight the biotechnological relevance of CAMs, representing an important step toward the identification of novel and bioactive bacterial species beneficial for coral reef ecosystems and human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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18 pages, 7840 KiB  
Article
A New Genus of Andean Katydid with Unusual Pronotal Structure for Enhancing Resonances
by Fabio A. Sarria-Sarria, Glenn K. Morris and Fernando Montealegre-Z
Biology 2024, 13(12), 1071; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121071 - 20 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1473 | Correction
Abstract
Katydids employ acoustic signals to communicate with others of their species and have evolved to generate sounds by coupling the anatomical structures of their forewings. However, some species have evolved to implement an additional resonance mechanism that enhances the transmission and sound pressure [...] Read more.
Katydids employ acoustic signals to communicate with others of their species and have evolved to generate sounds by coupling the anatomical structures of their forewings. However, some species have evolved to implement an additional resonance mechanism that enhances the transmission and sound pressure of the acoustic signals produced by the primary resonators. Secondary resonators, such as burrow cavities or horn-shaped structures, are found in the surrounding environment but could also occur as anatomical modifications of their bodies. Chamber-like structures have been described in species of katydids with modified pronota or wings. It has been shown that these modified structures directly affect the transmission and filtering of acoustic signals and can function as a Helmholtz resonator that encapsulates the primary sound source. By morphological and acoustic analysis, we describe a new genus of Conocephalinae and investigate the physical properties of their sound production structures for three new species from the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Males of the new genus, here described as Tectucantus n. gen., have a characteristic inflated pronotum enclosing the reduced first pair of wings and extending rearward over the first abdominal segments. We test the hypothesis that the pronotal cavity volume correlates with the carrier frequency of specific calls. The cavity of the pronotal chamber acts as a Helmholtz resonator in all three Tectucantus species and, potentially, in other distantly related species, which use similar secondary body resonators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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19 pages, 4474 KiB  
Article
Antibiotic Resistance as a Functional Characteristic of Urban Dust Particles’ Microbial Communities
by Anna A. Vetrova, Anastasia A. Ivanova, Kirill V. Petrikov, Olga Gavrichkova, Maria V. Korneykova and Olesya I. Sazonova
Biology 2024, 13(12), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13121022 - 6 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1009
Abstract
Urban dust samples were collected in Moscow (Russia) in June 2021. The samples were collected in three functional zones of Moscow (traffic, residential, and recreational) and included air microparticles, leaf dust, and paved dust. Data on the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities were [...] Read more.
Urban dust samples were collected in Moscow (Russia) in June 2021. The samples were collected in three functional zones of Moscow (traffic, residential, and recreational) and included air microparticles, leaf dust, and paved dust. Data on the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities were obtained for dust samples, and their functional characteristics were predicted using PICRUSt2 2.5.0 and FAPROTAX 1.8.0 software. The culturable part of the bacterial community was examined for the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains with respect to β-lactams, tetracyclines, amphenicols, and aminoglycosides. The presence of bacteria resistant to ceftazidime, cefepime, and tetracycline was detected in all dust samples. The presence of bacteria resistant to meropenem and amikacin was only observed in the dust collected from leaves in the residential and traffic zones. The overall abundance of cultured antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the total heterotrophs ranged from 0.03% to 1.88%, with the highest percentage observed in dust from the residential zone. Notably, strains resistant to all antibiotics tested were observed in the leaf dust bacterial community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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22 pages, 9487 KiB  
Article
Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on the Diversity of Microbial Communities of PM10 Air and PM100 of Tilia L. Phylloplane in an Urban Ecosystem
by Olesya I. Sazonova, Anastasia A. Ivanova, Anna A. Vetrova, Anton N. Zvonarev, Rostislav A. Streletskii, Viacheslav I. Vasenev, Vladimir A. Myazin, Ksenia I. Makhinya, Ekaterina V. Kozlova and Maria V. Korneykova
Biology 2024, 13(12), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13120969 - 24 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1192
Abstract
Identifying the relationship between the microbiomes of urban dust particles from different biotopes is important because the state of microorganisms can be used to assess the quality of the environment. The aim of this work was to determine the distribution and interaction patterns [...] Read more.
Identifying the relationship between the microbiomes of urban dust particles from different biotopes is important because the state of microorganisms can be used to assess the quality of the environment. The aim of this work was to determine the distribution and interaction patterns of microorganisms of dust particles in the air and on leaf surfaces. Metabarcoding of bacterial and fungal communities, PAH, and metal content analyses and electron microscopy were used in this work. The results obtained allowed us to characterise the biological and chemical components of the dust particles. Some bacterial and fungal genera were correlated with benzanthracene, fluoranthene, and Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, and Mn contents. Bacterial communities were found to be more sensitive to all the pollutants studied. PM10 microbial communities circulated between biotopes and study areas due to air flows, as evidenced by the presence of similar ASVs in fungi and bacteria. The results could help to understand the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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14 pages, 2003 KiB  
Article
Proteomic Analysis to Understand the Promotive Effect of Ethanol on Soybean Growth Under Salt Stress
by Setsuko Komatsu and Takumi Nishiuchi
Biology 2024, 13(11), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13110861 - 24 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1100
Abstract
Finding solutions to mitigate the impact of salinity on crops is important for global food security because soil salinity significantly reduces plant growth and grain yield. Ethanol may play an important role in mitigating the negative salt-induced effects on crops. Soybean root growth [...] Read more.
Finding solutions to mitigate the impact of salinity on crops is important for global food security because soil salinity significantly reduces plant growth and grain yield. Ethanol may play an important role in mitigating the negative salt-induced effects on crops. Soybean root growth was significantly reduced under salt stress; however, it was restored and comparable to control values by ethanol application even under stress. To study the positive mechanism of ethanol on soybean growth, a proteomic approach was carried out. The categories with the greatest changes in protein numbers were protein metabolism, transport, and cell organization in biological processes, nucleus and cytosol in cellular components, and nucleic acid binding activity in molecular functions. Proteomic data were confirmed using immunoblot analysis. Reactive oxygen species enzymes increased under salt stress; among them, mitochondrial ascorbate peroxidase was further accumulated by ethanol application. Among the cell wall and membrane-associated proteins, xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase and H+-ATPase increased and decreased, respectively, under salt stress; however, they were restored to control levels by ethanol application. These results suggest that soybeans were adversely affected by salt stress and recovered with ethanol application via the regulation of cell wall and membrane functions through the detoxification of reactive oxygen species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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Review

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11 pages, 1012 KiB  
Review
Symphonies of Growth: Unveiling the Impact of Sound Waves on Plant Physiology and Productivity
by Mario Pagano and Sonia Del Prete
Biology 2024, 13(5), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13050326 - 7 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 9549
Abstract
The application of sound wave technology to different plant species has revealed that variations in the Hz, sound pressure intensity, treatment duration, and type of setup of the sound source significantly impact the plant performance. A study conducted on cotton plants treated with [...] Read more.
The application of sound wave technology to different plant species has revealed that variations in the Hz, sound pressure intensity, treatment duration, and type of setup of the sound source significantly impact the plant performance. A study conducted on cotton plants treated with Plant Acoustic Frequency Technology (PAFT) highlighted improvements across various growth metrics. In particular, the treated samples showed increases in the height, size of the fourth expanded leaf from the final one, count of branches carrying bolls, quantity of bolls, and weight of individual bolls. Another study showed how the impact of a 4 kHz sound stimulus positively promoted plant drought tolerance. In other cases, such as in transgenic rice plants, GUS expression was upregulated at 250 Hz but downregulated at 50 Hz. In the same way, sound frequencies have been found to enhance the osmotic potential, with the highest observed in samples treated with frequencies of 0.5 and 0.8 kHz compared to the control. Furthermore, a sound treatment with a frequency of 0.4 kHz and a sound pressure level (SPL) of 106 dB significantly increased the paddy rice germination index, as evidenced by an increase in the stem height and relative fresh weight. This paper presents a complete, rationalized and updated review of the literature on the effects of sound waves on the physiology and growth parameters of sound-treated plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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Other

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6 pages, 7163 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Sarria-Sarria et al. A New Genus of Andean Katydid with Unusual Pronotal Structure for Enhancing Resonances. Biology 2024, 13, 1071
by Fabio A. Sarria-Sarria, Glenn K. Morris and Fernando Montealegre-Z
Biology 2025, 14(3), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14030262 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 343
Abstract
In the original publication [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adaptation of Living Species to Environmental Stress)
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