Photosynthesis and Plant Physiology Under Climate Change

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 851

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg. Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: plant environmental stress physiology; plant growth; photosynthesis; oxidative stress; antioxidative mechanisms

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: plant-environment interaction; plant ecophysiology; plant phenotyping; photosynthesis; plant stress tolerance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are currently facing significant challenges due to climate change. Long-term shifts in global temperatures and weather patterns—such as increased CO₂ concentrations, water scarcity, and prolonged drought—are altering plants’ functionality. These changes limit photosynthesis, affecting plant development, growth, and productivity and leading to decreased crop yields. As a fundamental process in plant growth, photosynthesis is particularly sensitive to heat and drought stress.

Over the last decade, extensive research has highlighted the detrimental effects of these stresses in chloroplast biosynthesis, structure, and function. Heat and drought disrupt critical photochemical reactions, including the inactivation of Photosystem II, and reduce the activity of stress-related proteins such as Rubisco, leading to redox imbalances and ultimately reducing photosynthetic efficiency.

Given that maintaining and improving photosynthetic efficiency is essential in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, the enhancement of photosynthesis can play a crucial role in ensuring food security.

This Special Issue will focus on research providing insights into the mechanisms underlying plant responses to climate change, including physiological, biochemical, and molecular modifications that can identify key targets for plant acclimatization. We also encourage the submission of studies that expand our understanding of how future climate scenarios will affect plant physiology, quality, and yield, with the aim of developing more resilient crops. We welcome the submission of all types of articles, including original research and review papers.

Dr. Danijela Arsenov
Prof. Dr. Milan Borišev
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heat and drought stress
  • photosynthetic efficiency
  • plant robustness
  • acclimatization strategies
  • climate resilience

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2328 KiB  
Article
Simulated Warming Reduces Biomass Accumulation in Zizania caduciflor and Sparganium stoloniferum
by Tingfeng Wang, Junbao Yu, Yun Zhang, Kun Tian, Xiangyu Zhu, Mei Sun and Zhenya Liu
Plants 2025, 14(10), 1414; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101414 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 277
Abstract
Climate change, represented by global warming, significantly affects the structure and function of alpine wetland ecosystems. Investigating the response strategies of alpine wetland plants to temperature changes is fundamental to understanding how alpine wetlands cope with global warming. This study, conducted at the [...] Read more.
Climate change, represented by global warming, significantly affects the structure and function of alpine wetland ecosystems. Investigating the response strategies of alpine wetland plants to temperature changes is fundamental to understanding how alpine wetlands cope with global warming. This study, conducted at the typical alpine wetland Napahai, uses the latest predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and employs open–top chamber warming experiments (OTCs) to study the responses of typical alpine wetland plants, Zizania caduciflor and Sparganium stoloniferum, to simulated warming. The results indicate that simulated warming significantly reduced the photosynthetic capacity of Z. caduciflor, and obviously decreased the biomass accumulation of both Z. caduciflor and S. stoloniferum (p < 0.05). The mean annual temperature (MAT) and annual maximum temperature (max) are the primary temperature factors affecting the photosynthetic and biomass parameters. Specifically, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, the aboveground, underground, and total biomasses, and the nitrogen contents of aboveground and underground buds of Z. caduciflor all showed significant negative correlations with MAT and max (p < 0.05). The parameters of S. stoloniferum mainly showed significant correlations with max, with its underground biomass, total biomass, and root nitrogen content all showing significant negative correlations with max, while its fibrous root carbon content and underground bud phosphorus content showed significant positive correlations with max (p < 0.05). The results are consistent with previous studies in high–altitude regions, indicating that warming reduces the photosynthetic capacity and biomass accumulation of alpine wetland plants, a trend that is widespread and will lead to a decline in the productivity of alpine wetlands and changes in vegetation composition. The study can provide a case for understanding the response strategies of alpine wetlands in the context of climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthesis and Plant Physiology Under Climate Change)
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