Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation of Plants in Threatened Ecosystems: Insights from Plant Communities in Metal-Rich Habitats

Dear Colleagues,

Exceptionally diverse and specialized plant communities have evolved in stressful habitats with restricted distribution. Notably, plant communities that developed in habitats with anomalous concentrations of iron and other metals, such as in lateritic outcrops or ultramafic soils, are of special interest. To survive in these infertile and toxic substrates, these plants have developed fascinating adaptations, including the physiological ability to sequester or hyperaccumulate heavy metals. These plant communities are rare, and host numerous narrow-endemic species adapted to some of the most ancient landscapes on Earth.

These characteristics make these communities ideal models for physiological, ecological and evolutionary research. Furthermore, they provide valuable genetic resources for green biotechnologies, including soil decontamination (phytoremediation) and the prospecting of molecular compounds that could serve as industrial enzymes or biopolymers.

The urgency of this Special Issue is based on the realization that in several countries, current public policies and conservation strategies are insufficient to protect these metal-rich ecosystems. The rapid global expansion of mining, combined with deforestation and climate change, is pushing these communities toward collapse. Several species are threatened with extinction even before they are officially described by science. One of the greatest challenges in conservation science is supporting public policies to prevent the extinction of species, communities, and ecosystems facing large-scale anthropogenic threats like mining.

The conservation of these metal-rich ecosystems requires careful environmental impact assessments appropriate to these critical habitats, defining the boundaries of environmental feasibility for mining projects. This includes identifying “limits to biodiversity offsetting” and strict “no-go zones,” in accordance with the premises of the mining sector itself, multilateral financial institutions, and global scientific authorities. Another essential process involves establishing parameters and objectives for incorporating areas into the protected regions system, with particular emphasis on habitats characterized by distinctive geological substrates that sustain highly specialized plant communities.

This Special Issue aims to compile updated data concerning the diversity, ecology, physiology, and genetics of these metal-rich habitats worldwide and the threats they face. We invite contributions—ranging from molecular plant biology to landscape ecology—that provide policymakers, researchers, environmental managers, and decision-makers with compelling scientific evidence to establish protected areas and reconsider environmental licensing procedures through innovative approaches.

Dr. Flávio Fonseca Do Carmo
Dr. Luciana H. Y. Kamino
Guest Editors

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• relictual ecosystems
• edaphic endemism
• geobotany
• hyperaccumulator
• metal-tolerant plants
• environmental impact analysis
• mining
• conservation genetics
• plant–soil interactions