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Plants
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Plant Conservation Science and Practice
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Plant Conservation Science and Practice

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2978

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giulia Albani Rocchetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Viale Guglielmo Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: plant conservation; seed ecology; seed germination; de-extinction; applied botany; herbariomics
Dr. Marco Porceddu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sardinian Germplasm Bank (BG-SAR), Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus (HBK), Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), University of Cagliari (UNICA), 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: conservation biology; ex situ conservation; seed dormancy and germination; germination under heavy metal stress; germination in response to climate change; Mediterranean species; plant ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biodiversity loss continues to occur at alarming rates despite concerted efforts to conserve ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity. Addressing this crisis requires more effective conservation approaches that encompass a range of strategies. Botanic gardens, for example, play a crucial role in ex situ conservation through their extensive live plant collections and seed storage in germplasm banks. In addition to these contributions, the integration of field botany and ecology approaches with urban and agro-ecology is vital for protecting threatened species and preserving ecosystem services, essential components of maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems also in anthropic contexts.

This Special Issue focuses on the complexity and dynamic nature of plant conservation. It welcomes studies offering actionable recommendations across diverse areas, such as field botany, plant and seed biology, in situ and ex situ practices, urban and agro-ecology, and the creation and management of databases. By highlighting the importance of protecting plant diversity, the issue aims to underscore its critical role in securing the integrity of ecosystems and promoting a sustainable future.

Dr. Giulia Albani Rocchetti
Dr. Marco Porceddu
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

  • biodiversity conservation
  • in situ and ex situ practices
  • botanical gardens
  • germplasm banks
  • urban and agro-ecology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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17 pages, 9707 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Distribution Dynamics of the Camellia Subgenus Camellia in China and Providing Insights into Camellia Resources Management Under Future Climate Change
by Yue Xu, Bing-Qian Guan, Ran Chen, Rong Yi, Xiao-Long Jiang and Kai-Qing Xie
Plants 2025, 14(7), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14071137 - 6 Apr 2025
Viewed by 423
Abstract
Rapid climate change has significantly impacted species distribution patterns, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of dominant tree dynamics for effective forest resource management and utilization. The Camellia subgenus Camellia, a widely distributed taxon in subtropical China, represents an ecologically and economically important group [...] Read more.
Rapid climate change has significantly impacted species distribution patterns, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of dominant tree dynamics for effective forest resource management and utilization. The Camellia subgenus Camellia, a widely distributed taxon in subtropical China, represents an ecologically and economically important group of woody plants valued for both oil production and ornamental purposes. In this study, we employed the BIOMOD2 ensemble modeling framework to investigate the spatial distribution patterns and range dynamics of the subgenus Camellia under projected climate change scenarios. Our analysis incorporated 1455 georeferenced occurrence records from 15 species, following the filtering of duplicate points, along with seven bioclimatic variables selected after highly correlated factors were eliminated. The ensemble model, which integrates six single species distribution models, demonstrated robust predictive performance, with mean true skil l statistic (TSS) and area under curve (AUC) values exceeding 0.8. Our results identified precipitation of the coldest quarter (Bio19) and temperature seasonality (Bio4) as the primary determinants influencing species distribution patterns. The center of species richness for the subgenus Camellia was located in the Nanling Mountains and eastern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The projections indicate an overall expansion of suitable habitats for the subgenus under future climate conditions, with notable scenario-dependent variations: distribution hotspots are predicted to increase by 8.86% under the SSP126 scenario but experience a 2.53% reduction under the SSP585 scenario. Furthermore, a westward shift in the distribution centroid is anticipated. To ensure long-term conservation of Camellia genetic resources, we recommend establishing a germplasm conservation center in the Nanling Mountains region, which represents a critical biodiversity hotspot for this taxon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Conservation Science and Practice)
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14 pages, 2219 KiB  
Article
Determining the Dormancy Type of the Endangered Linum mulleri by Testing 7000 Seeds
by Ludovica Dessì, Marco Porceddu, Lina Podda, Alba Cuena Lombraña and Gianluigi Bacchetta
Plants 2025, 14(7), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14070984 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 487
Abstract
Linum mulleri is an endemic taxon of southwestern Sardinia (Italy), categorised as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and included in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as priority species for conservation. This study investigated the germination ecophysiology of [...] Read more.
Linum mulleri is an endemic taxon of southwestern Sardinia (Italy), categorised as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and included in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as priority species for conservation. This study investigated the germination ecophysiology of L. mulleri and the possible presence of dormancy by using 7000 seeds, providing useful information for conservation strategies. The germination response of fresh seeds was evaluated under different temperatures, photoperiods, pre-treatments [cold stratification (C); warm stratification (W); W+C; C+W+C; dry after-ripening (DAR)], and different gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations. L. mulleri germinated under controlled conditions, particularly at 15 and 20 °C, while germination percentages (GP) never exceeded 5% at 5 and 30 °C. C and C+W+C induced secondary dormancy, delaying germination, whereas W, DAR, and GA3 stimulate it. Light and dark incubation showed no significant differences in regards to GP. W, DAR, and 250 mg/L GA3 effectively overcame physiological dormancy (PD), expanding the germination temperature range to below 10 and above 25 °C. These responses suggested type 3 non-deep PD, as germination temperatures extended from a moderate range to both low and high temperatures. Analyzing 7000 seeds provided crucial information regarding dormancy and germination strategies, supporting both ex situ and in situ conservation efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Conservation Science and Practice)
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17 pages, 9895 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Potential Distribution and Response of Changium smyrnioides to Climate Change Based on Optimized MaxEnt Model
by Xingyu Zhu, Xin Jiang, Ying Chen, Congcong Li, Shi Ding, Xuejiao Zhang, Lulu Luo, Yun Jia and Gang Zhao
Plants 2025, 14(5), 743; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14050743 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 674
Abstract
Changium smyrnioides, an endangered herb known for its medicinal roots, contains essential amino acids that are vital for human health but cannot be synthesized by the body. However, wild populations of this species have been steadily declining due to the combined impacts [...] Read more.
Changium smyrnioides, an endangered herb known for its medicinal roots, contains essential amino acids that are vital for human health but cannot be synthesized by the body. However, wild populations of this species have been steadily declining due to the combined impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities. In this study, we employed an optimized MaxEnt model to predict the potential distribution of C. smyrnioides under different climate scenarios and to evaluate its responses to climate change. Our findings demonstrated that the MaxEnt model achieved optimal performance with a regularization multiplier of 0.5 and a feature combination of linear and quadratic terms. Among the environmental variables, three emerged as the most critical factors shaping the species’ potential distribution: elevation, precipitation of the driest month (bio14), and isothermality (bio2/bio7 × 100, bio3). Currently, the primary suitable habitats for C. smyrnioides are concentrated in Jiangsu Province, with an estimated 21,135 km² classified as highly suitable. The analysis further indicated that, in response to rising temperatures, C. smyrnioides is likely to shift its distribution northeastward across China. Notably, the results suggested that the total area of suitable habitats would increase over time under projected climate scenarios. Based on the predicted centroid migration of suitable habitats, Anhui Province was identified as a critical future conservation zone for C. smyrnioides. This region could serve as a vital refuge, ensuring the long-term survival of the species under changing climatic conditions. Overall, this study provides key insights into the ecological responses of C. smyrnioides to climate change, offering evidence-based guidance for the development of effective conservation strategies aimed at safeguarding this endangered herb. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Conservation Science and Practice)
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Other

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26 pages, 3385 KiB  
Systematic Review
Trends and Challenges in Plant Cryopreservation Research: A Meta-Analysis of Cryoprotective Agent Development and Research Focus
by Pilsung Kang, Sung Jin Kim, Ha Ju Park, Se Jong Han, Il-Chan Kim, Hyoungseok Lee and Joung Han Yim
Plants 2025, 14(3), 447; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030447 - 3 Feb 2025
Viewed by 886
Abstract
The stable long-term preservation of plant cells is crucial for biopharmaceuticals and food security. Therefore, the long-term cryopreservation of plant cells using a cryoprotective agent (CPA) is a crucial area of study. However, research on low-toxicity CPAs remains limited. We analyzed 1643 abstracts [...] Read more.
The stable long-term preservation of plant cells is crucial for biopharmaceuticals and food security. Therefore, the long-term cryopreservation of plant cells using a cryoprotective agent (CPA) is a crucial area of study. However, research on low-toxicity CPAs remains limited. We analyzed 1643 abstracts related to plant-cryopreservation (PCP) research published from 1967 to May 2023, spanning 56 years, from academic citation databases, with the search conducted in May 2023. Grouping these abstracts by five-year intervals revealed an increase in PCP papers until 2015, followed by a decline in the 2020s. In order to confirm the declining trend, we performed text-mining analysis using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm, which identifies underlying topics across diverse documents to aid decision-making and classified the abstracts into three distinct topics: Topic 1, “Seed bank”; Topic 2, “Physiology”; and Topic 3, “Cryopreservation protocol”. The decline, particularly in “Cryopreservation protocol” research, is an important observation in this study. At the same time, this decrease may be due to the limited scope of Topic 3. However, we expect improvements with the development of new CPAs. This expectation is based on numerous ongoing studies focused on developing new CPAs for the cryopreservation of various animal and medical cell lines, with particular attention on polysaccharides as components that could reduce the required concentrations of existing CPAs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Conservation Science and Practice)
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