Mechanisms of Environmental Stress Adaptation and Tolerance in Woody Plants
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2027 | Viewed by 154
Special Issue Editors
Interests: woody plants; plant stress resistance; plant physiology; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: abiotic stress; plant stress resistance; ecological physiology; hydroponic systems; metabolomics; molecular biology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Woody plants are long-lived organisms that, throughout their life cycle, are exposed to multiple and often concomitant environmental stresses, including drought, extreme temperatures, salinity, nutrient limitation, pollution, and biotic pressures. Their survival and productivity depend on a wide range of adaptation and resistance mechanisms that operate at the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Understanding these mechanisms is of growing importance in the context of global climate change, which is intensifying the frequency, duration, and severity of stresses in forest and agroforestry ecosystems.
This Special Issue aims to gather contributions that illustrate the latest advances in understanding the processes by which woody plants perceive, respond to, and tolerate environmental stresses in both natural and controlled conditions. Particular attention will be given to studies investigating hydraulic regulation and xylem vulnerability to embolism, stomatal control and carbon–water balance, root system architecture and soil–plant interactions, and anatomical adjustments contributing to stress resilience. Contributions focusing on stress signaling networks, hormonal crosstalk (e.g., ABA, ethylene, jasmonates, and cytokinins), reactive oxygen species dynamics, antioxidant defenses, and metabolic reprogramming are especially encouraged.
This Special Issue also welcomes studies exploring transcriptional regulation, epigenetic modifications, and omics-based approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) that clarify molecular and regulatory mechanisms underlying stress acclimation and memory. Research addressing phenotypic plasticity, local adaptation, genotype-by-environment interactions, growth–defense trade-offs, and species-specific strategies across forest and woody crop systems will be particularly relevant.
Through the integration of ecological, physiological, and molecular approaches, this Special Issue aims to deepen understanding of stress resilience in both cultivated woody plants and natural woody vegetation, thus supporting forest conservation, ecosystem management, and climate-resilient tree species development strategies. We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Antonella Gori
Guest Editor
Dr. Sara Beltrami
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- woody plants
- environmental stress
- stress adaptation
- climate change
- physiological plasticity
- molecular mechanisms
- drought tolerance
- stress signaling
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