Plants in Urban Environments
A special issue of International Journal of Plant Biology (ISSN 2037-0164). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology and Biodiversity".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 222
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agricultural and environmental chemistry; environmental botany; soil ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil chemistry; sustainable soil management practices; soil fertility and conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The International Journal of Plant Biology invites submissions for a Special Issue entitled “Plants in Urban Environments”, which will highlight recent advances in plant biology within urban and peri-urban systems.
Rapid urbanization is profoundly transforming landscapes and environmental conditions, creating heterogeneous habitats where plants are exposed to multiple interacting stressors. These include soil degradation and sealing, chemical pollution, altered water and nutrient cycles, heat island effects, habitat fragmentation, and novel biotic interactions. Despite these constraints, urban vegetation plays a key role in maintaining ecosystem services, mitigating climate change impacts, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing human well-being.
This Special Issue will provide an interdisciplinary forum for original research and review articles addressing plant responses and adaptations to urban environments. We welcome contributions on plant physiology, ecology, biochemistry, and molecular biology in cities, as well as on plant–soil–microorganism interactions, urban biodiversity patterns, and functional traits. Studies focusing on nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, urban forestry, and the role of plants in sustainable urban planning and resilience strategies are particularly encouraged.
Both fundamental and applied approaches are welcome, including field, experimental, and modeling studies across different climatic and geographic contexts. By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue will advance our understanding of plant functioning in urban ecosystems and support science-based strategies for greener, healthier, and more resilient cities.
Dr. Adriano Sofo
Dr. Alba N. Mininni
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. International Journal of Plant 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 1400 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
- urban plant biology
- urban ecology
- plant stress physiology
- plant–soil interactions
- urban soils
- green infrastructure
- urban biodiversity
- ecosystem services
- nature-based solutions
- climate change adaptation
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