New Insights into Hydraulic Anatomy and Function of Trees

Dear Colleagues,

Plant water relations (i.e., “plant hydraulics”) play an integral role in studying plant functioning. For plants, the structure of the water transport system places a physical limit on plant functioning, as the efficiency of water transport through their organs determines their photosynthetic capacity and growth rate. Thus, plant hydraulic properties are fundamental determinants of plant fitness and survival. On a global scale, water availability is an important limiting factor for plants, determining the productivity of crops and forests. Thus, understanding the controls over plant water relations makes it possible to manipulate and optimize the entire plant performance, affording direct benefits for humankind by increasing the productivity of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry as well as prediction of forest plasticity to future water regimes.

Different aspects of plant hydraulics have been widely investigated, including the regulation of water movement through both the vascular (xylem structure) and extravascular (aquaporin function) pathways, as well as coordination with stomatal conductance and carbon metabolism. Yet, the effect of global climate change, which creates considerable geographical variability in a climate with increasing incidence of extremes, on plant hydraulic functioning needs to be scrutinized now more than ever.

With this Special Issue of Forests, we aim to provide new insights into the structure–function relationships of plant water relations, with specific emphasis on trees and forests. We call for manuscripts in the form of original research or review papers that address novel aspects of tree hydraulics at the molecular, whole-tree and ecosystem level, especially in the context of global climate change.

Dr. Eele Õunapuu-Pikas
Guest Editor

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.