Tree Epigenetic Diversity and Its Role in Tree Adaptation
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 839
Special Issue Editors
Interests: protection and management of forest genetic resources; genetic and epigenetic diversity; population genetics; molecular and conservation genetics; forest genetic monitoring
Interests: population genetics; epigenetics; quantitative trait loci; genetic mapping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Trees play an important role in global biodiversity, the carbon cycle, and climate regulation. Their long lifespan requires exceptional adaptive strategies to cope with environmental stresses such as drought, pathogens, and extreme temperatures. Traditionally, adaptation in trees has been studied in the light of genetic diversity. However, it has been shown that epigenetic diversity can significantly influence how trees respond to environmental stresses. Epigenetic mechanisms (DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs) play a critical role in regulating gene expression and activating phenotypic plasticity in response to changing climatic conditions. These mechanisms allow trees to rapidly adapt traits such as leaf morphology, flowering time, and stress tolerance without requiring changes to DNA sequence. This flexibility is critical for coping with short-term fluctuations in environmental conditions. In some tree species, environmentally induced epigenetic states are passed to offspring, a phenomenon known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. While the stability of such marks remains under investigation, this mechanism offers a potential pathway for rapid evolutionary responses in long-lived organisms.
In this Special Issue, we review the latest developments and perspectives in the field of epigenetic diversity in trees, including its main mechanisms, how it contributes to environmental response and long-term adaptation, the potential for epigenetic traits to be inherited from generation to generation, whether it affects the resilience of forests to ever-changing climate conditions, management strategies, and new technologies applied to the protection and conservation of forest ecosystems. Submissions of original research articles and reviews are welcome.
Dr. Ermioni Malliarou
Dr. Evangelia V. Avramidou
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. Forests 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 2600 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
- climate change
- epigenetic diversity
- adaptation
- forest species
- molecular methods
- DNA methylation
- conservation
- histone modification
- non-coding RNAs
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
