Plant Perception, Behavior, and Environmental Response Mechanisms

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Special Issue “Plant Perception, Behavior, and Environmental Response Mechanisms” in MDPI’s journal Biology.

Plants exhibit remarkable dynamism, engaging in continuous perception, signaling, and adaptive behavior. Far from being passive, plants integrate multiple sources of information to regulate their growth, development, and interaction with their surroundings. Advances in plant science have revealed a broad spectrum of intra- and inter-communication modalities, encompassing electrical, chemical, mechanical, acoustic, and hydraulic signals.  These processes are observed across a range of spatial and temporal scales, from the molecular to the behavioral level. This underscores the notion that plants function as active organisms in intricate networks of interaction.

This Special Issue seeks to highlight the multifaceted nature of plant communication and behavior, ranging from intracellular pathways to ecosystem dynamics. We welcome contributions encompassing a variety of perspectives, including biological, chemical, physiological, behavioral, and theoretical approaches, that investigate how plants detect and process environmental stimuli, establish interactions with other organisms, and adapt through structural, physiological, and behavioral strategies, thereby illuminating the integrative systems that sustain plant life.

The overall focus of this Special Issue is on the active and dynamic nature of plant life, particularly the diverse ways in which plants perceive, communicate, and adapt to their environments. Its scope encompasses a wide range of biological levels, from molecular and cellular mechanisms to community- and ecosystem-scale processes. The Issue will highlight how plant communication and behavior is mediated through electrical, chemical, hydraulic, acoustic, and biomechanical signaling. The purpose of this collection is to provide an integrative platform to explore how plants engage with each other and with other organisms, and how these processes shape both individual fitness and ecological networks.

This Special Issue will serve to supplement and extend the current literature by offering a more holistic perspective, drawing upon a variety of approaches, including biological, chemical, physiological, behavioral, and theoretical perspectives. While many studies have examined plant signaling or adaptation within specific contexts, fewer have emphasized the interconnectedness of these processes across temporal and spatial scales. By drawing together diverse contributions, this Special Issue aims to foster a more comprehensive understanding of plant life as an active, communicative, and highly responsive system.

We warmly invite your contributions to this Special Issue and look forward to your insights into the remarkable world of plant communication and adaptation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Silvia Guerra
Dr. Bianca Bonato
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.

• plant perception
• plant movement
• social cognition
• communication
• plant behavior
• climbing plants
• interactions
• plant–plant interactions
• environment
• plant–environment interactions