Phytochemical Dynamics: Plant Metabolite Responses to Environmental Factors

Dear Colleagues,

We invite researchers to submit their manuscripts exploring the intricate interactions between plant metabolites (phytochemicals) and environmental influences. This Special Issue aims to showcase groundbreaking research on how plants adapt their metabolite profiles in response to various biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding these dynamic responses is essential for achieving advancements in agriculture, ecology, pharmacology, and biotechnology. We seek contributions that delve into the biochemical pathways, ecological functions, and potential applications of plant metabolites in a changing environment.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Environmental Stressors and Metabolite Changes:

• Impact of drought, salinity, temperature fluctuations, light conditions, and nutrient availability on phytochemical production.

Biotic Interactions:

• Plant responses to pathogens, herbivory, and symbiotic relationships (e.g., mycorrhizal associations) and their effects on metabolite profiles.

Specialized Metabolites Biosynthesis:

• Pathways involved in the production of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, and other phytochemicals.

Ecological and Evolutionary Roles of Phytochemicals:

• How metabolites contribute to plant defence, pollination, and overall ecological fitness.

Omics Approaches and Metabolomics:

• Use of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in understanding phytochemical regulation under environmental stress.

Adaptive Mechanisms and Plasticity:

• Mechanisms driving metabolite plasticity, including epigenetic changes and hormonal regulation.

Agricultural and Medicinal Applications:

• Harnessing phytochemical responses for crop improvement, pest management, and the discovery of novel medicinal compounds.

Climate Change and Global Shifts:

• How climate change is influencing phytochemical production and plant adaptation on a global scale.

We welcome a wide range of manuscript types, including original research articles, reviews, meta-analyses, and case studies.

Dr. Ivana Sola
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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.