Environmental Contamination in Ecosystems: Plant–Soil–Water Interactions and Process Dynamics
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 246
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Environmental contamination fundamentally alters ecosystem processes at the plant–soil–water interface through multiple interacting mechanisms that operate across organizational levels from molecules to landscapes. Contamination disrupts nutrient cycling through ion competition, redox transformations and altered microbial enzyme activities; modifies water dynamics through stomatal responses, root damage and changes in soil physical properties; reshapes rhizosphere processes through plant–microbe signalling and community shifts and alters soil structure and contaminant mobility through effects on aggregation, sorption and transport pathways. These impacts cascade through ecosystems to affect productivity, biodiversity and ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water regulation and food production. However, substantial research gaps constrain our ability to predict ecosystem responses to contamination and develop effective management strategies. Methodological limitations including inadequate spatial and temporal resolution, insufficient process integration and lack of long-term monitoring prevent robust upscaling and prediction. Understudied contaminant types and mixtures, particularly organic–metal interactions and climate–contamination interactions, limit generalizability. Mechanistic knowledge gaps at the mycorrhizosphere interface, in plant–microbe signalling and in linking molecular responses to ecosystem outcomes prevent predictive understanding. Translational gaps including limited ecosystem service valuation, insufficient model integration and weak stakeholder engagement constrain practical application.
Prof. Dr. Paolo De Angelis
Guest Editor
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. 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
- plant–soil–water interactions
- environmental contamination
- rhizosphere processes
- phytoremediation
- biogeochemical cycling
- heavy metal stress
- ecosystem functioning
- microbial communities
- contaminant mobility
- phytomanagement
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
