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Biological Responses of Plants to Environmental Pollution
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Biological Responses of Plants to Environmental Pollution

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 900

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Wojnicka-Półtorak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetic, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
Interests: population genetics; conservation genetics; ecology; heavy metal pollution; trees; genetic diversity
Prof. Dr. Jarosław Gzyl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
Interests: plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental pollution as a consequence of anthropogenic activities has become a global problem. It is mainly classified as air, water, land, noise, thermal, light and plastic pollution. Plants are sensitive and vulnerable to all forms of pollution, and their response can be catergorized into the following: the genetic properties of the plant organism that determine sensitivity or tolerance (constitutive), the possibility of regenerating damage, and the adaptive mechanisms. Taken together, plants interact with pollutants, and cause adverse ecological and economic outcomes. Therefore, the response of plants to pollutants requires further investigation in terms of damage detection, adaptation, tolerance, molecular, genetics and physiological responses.

The aim of this Special Issue, entitled “Biological Responses of Plants to Environmental Pollution”, is to promote interdisciplinary discussions that expand the current state of knowledge on topics related to the response of plants to broadly understood environmental pollution on different organizational levels, from organelles to the whole ecosystem. We welcome the submission of research articles, review and articles.

Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Wojnicka-Półtorak
Prof. Dr. Jarosław Gzyl
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • environmental pollution
  • plant responses
  • constitutive tolerance
  • adaptive mechanisms

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 6060 KiB  
Article
Genomic Survey of Genes Encoding Major Intrinsic Proteins (MIPs) and Their Response to Arsenite Stress in Pepper (Capsicum annum)
by Syed Muhammad Azam, Kaixuan Huang, Jiaxin Yuan, Yanqing Bai, Qiaolin Chen, Panpan Dang, Hend Alwathnani, Hajar Fahad Bin Zayid, Renwei Feng and Christopher Rensing
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1475; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101475 - 14 May 2025
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Abstract
Major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) are a super family of proteins that mediate the bidirectional concentration-dependent flux of water in particularly small solutes in fraction and some metalloids across the cell membrane. This article reports the genome-wide study of pepper genes encoding MIPs and [...] Read more.
Major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) are a super family of proteins that mediate the bidirectional concentration-dependent flux of water in particularly small solutes in fraction and some metalloids across the cell membrane. This article reports the genome-wide study of pepper genes encoding MIPs and their expression analysis. Using a bioinformatics homology search, 48 CAMIPs were identified on the genome of pepper. A total of 48 MIPs were further divided in sub classes as 22 CATIPs, 15 CAPIPs, 10 CANIPs, and 1 CASIP. The 48 Pepper MIP encoding genes were mapped on the 12 pepper chromosomes. CAMIP synteny analysis exhibited 17 duplicated genes, and these were clustered into eight tandem duplicated regions on pepper chromosomes. The tissue-specific expression of MIPs based on RNA-Seq showed certain CANIPs, CATIPs, and CAPIPs were highly expressed in roots, while some CATIPs and CASIPs were expressed in stem as well. As(III), at 0.5 and 1 mM, was applied to pepper plants, where 1 mM significantly reduced leaf chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content, and root length. To see which CAMIPs participate in As(III) transport, we tested the response of genes encoding MIPs to As(III) through qRT-PCR. As(III) uptake was observed in both shoot and root samples treated with 0.5 mM and 1 mM As(III) for 12 h and 24 h because of MIPs’ quantitative response through qRT-PCR. Most of the MIPs were down-regulated in response to both levels of As(III); besides CANIPs, there were CATIPs and CAPIPs up-regulated in response to higher concentrations of As(III) in the roots and shoot, which suggests the involvement of CAMIPs in the uptake as well as detoxification mechanism in pepper against As(III). Unlike prokaryotes, plant MIPs have diverse selectivity for arsenite and other solutes. Our study provides important insights into the arsenite uptake and detoxification, offering a foundation for further functional and stress-tolerance studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Responses of Plants to Environmental Pollution)
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Review

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22 pages, 2623 KiB  
Review
Leaves and Tree Rings as Biomonitoring Archives of Atmospheric Mercury Deposition: An Ecophysiological Perspective
by Fabrizio Monaci and Davide Baroni
Plants 2025, 14(9), 1275; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091275 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Trees mediate critical biogeochemical cycles involving nutrients, pollutants, water, and energy at the interface between terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere. Forest ecosystems significantly influence the global cycling of mercury (Hg), serving as important sinks and potential sources of re-emission through various biotic and abiotic [...] Read more.
Trees mediate critical biogeochemical cycles involving nutrients, pollutants, water, and energy at the interface between terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere. Forest ecosystems significantly influence the global cycling of mercury (Hg), serving as important sinks and potential sources of re-emission through various biotic and abiotic processes. Anthropogenic Hg emissions, predominantly from industrial activities, mining, and fossil fuel combustion, have substantially altered the natural Hg cycle, intensifying ecotoxicological concerns and establishing forests as primary routes for atmospheric Hg deposition into terrestrial reservoirs. This perturbation profoundly affects global atmospheric Hg concentrations, residence times, and spatial distribution patterns. While early investigations focused on forest stands near heavily polluted areas, contemporary research has expanded to diverse ecosystems, revealing that trees provide tissues that function as temporal archives for atmospheric-terrestrial Hg exchange. Leaves capture high-resolution records of contemporary Hg dynamics at sub-annual timescales, whereas annual growth rings preserve multi-decadal chronologies of historical atmospheric exposure. Incorporating this dual temporal perspective is crucial for analysing Hg deposition trends and assessing the efficacy of environmental policies designed to control and mitigate Hg pollution. This review critically evaluates recent developments concerning the ecophysiological determinants of Hg accumulation in trees, highlighting how combined foliar and dendrochemical analytical methods strengthen our mechanistic understanding of vegetation-atmosphere Hg exchange. To enhance biomonitoring approaches, we emphasised the need for methodological standardisation, deeper integration of ecophysiological variables, and consideration of climate change implications as priority research areas. Furthermore, integrating Hg measurements with functional markers (δ13C and δ18O) and Hg isotope analyses strengthens the capacity to differentiate between physiological and environmental influences on Hg accumulation, thereby refining the mechanistic framework underlying effective tree-based Hg biomonitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Responses of Plants to Environmental Pollution)
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