Ex Situ Conservation and Research of Endemic Plants in Extreme Environments: Adaptation, Ecology, and Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Endemic plants, species restricted to specific and often isolated geographical areas, represent some of the most unique and fragile components of global biodiversity. When these species inhabit extreme environments, characterized by severe abiotic stressors such as high salinity, metal toxicity, extreme temperatures, or prolonged drought, they undergo extraordinary evolutionary trajectories. This Special Issue focuses on the pivotal role of ex situ conservation as a primary strategy for both safeguarding these species and providing a controlled environment to study their complex survival mechanisms. We seek to explore how these plants navigate the evolutionary trade-offs between survival and reproduction, driving adaptation under extreme environmental pressure, and the pivotal role of ex situ conservation in providing the controlled conditions necessary to decode these adaptive mechanisms.

The scope of this collection encompasses a broad range of botanical disciplines, including:

• Morpho-anatomical adaptations in botanical collections: investigating specialized tissues, such as succulent storage organs, advanced trichome structures, and modified vascular systems, using ex situ specimens as primary research resources to facilitate the understanding of survival in resource-limited settings.
• Physiological and chemical resilience under controlled conditions: decoding the biochemical pathways, specialized metabolites, and photosynthetic adjustments that mitigate stress.
• Ecological and reproductive interactions ex situ: understanding the role of soil–microbe associations, pollination syndromes, and reproduction mechanisms within botanical garden ecosystems to provide insights into the evolution and stability of extreme habitats.
• Genetic and genomic foundations of resilience: leveraging germplasm banking and ex situ populations to understand the evolutionary trade-offs and genetic diversity of narrow-range endemics.
• Integrated conservation management: protocols for germplasm storage and the role of botanical gardens in mitigating threats such as climate change and habitat fragmentation.
• Applied propagation and reintroduction strategies: developing specialized protocols for the propagation ex situ of rare and endemic species and evaluating the success of reintroduction programs for the ecological restoration of extreme environments.

This Special Issue particularly welcomes studies that bridge the gap between biological research and garden-based conservation, including germplasm banking and specialized propagation protocols for rare species. We encourage contributions that leverage ex situ collections as research resources, from genomic analyses to morpho-anatomical studies to decode how endemic plants adapt to extreme pressures. By integrating perspectives from plant anatomy, stress physiology, and conservation biotechnology, we aim to provide a robust scientific foundation for the preservation of these irreplaceable botanical treasures. We invite original research, reviews, and short communications that support effective, science-based conservation actions within and beyond botanical gardens.

Dr. Josimar Kulkamp
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 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.

• abiotic stress
• endemism
• evolutionary adaptation
• ex situ conservation
• plant morpho-anatomy