Physiological, Molecular and Genetic Mechanisms of Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Trees
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 793
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant stress; adversity biology of trees
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Woody plants, with their long life cycles, face escalating threats from combined abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, salinity and temperature extremes) and biotic stressors (e.g., pathogens and herbivores). Unlike herbaceous species, trees must endure these challenges over decades, relying on integrated resilience mechanisms spanning genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetic levels. This Special Issue highlights the multidimensional stress responses of woody plants, emphasizing the convergence of biotic and abiotic signaling pathways. Critical gaps persist in understanding how these long-lived organisms coordinate signals across biological dimensions to achieve adaptation. By decoding these mechanisms, we aim to advance strategies for ecosystem conservation and sustainable forestry under climate change.
Key Themes:
1. Integrated Physiological and Molecular Responses
- Physiological adaptations to combined biotic and abiotic stresses
- Tree-microbe interactions (mycorrhizal associations, pathogenic relationships)
- Tree-insect interactions and induced defense mechanisms
- Long-term acclimation processes and stress memory in perennial systems
2. Metabolic Regulation and Signaling Networks
- Hormonal cross-talk (ABA, SA, JA, ethylene) under combined stresses
- ROS signaling and antioxidant systems
- MAPK cascades and calcium signaling in stress integration
- Metabolic reprogramming and specialized metabolite production
3. Genomic and Transcriptomic Regulation
- Genetic bases of stress tolerance variation among woody species
- Transcriptional networks and regulatory cascades activated under single and combined stresses
- Species-specific responses in gymnosperms versus angiosperms
- Stress-induced expression of transcription factors regulating defense pathways
4. Single-Cell Resolution Mechanisms
- Cell-type-specific responses to environmental stresses
- Spatial transcriptomics of stress responses in woody tissues
- Epigenetic regulation at single-cell resolution
- Cellular heterogeneity in stress adaptation
5. Gene Family Diversification and Functional Analysis
- Expansion and evolution of stress-responsive gene families in trees
- Functional characterization of key genes through genetic transformation
- Promoter analysis and regulatory elements controlling stress-responsive expression
- Gene network analyses and systems biology approaches
6. Methodological Advances and Applied Research
- Multi-omics integration (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics)
- High-throughput phenotyping for stress response monitoring
- Modeling network interactions across biological levels
- Field studies simulating realistic future stress scenarios
Dr. Fang He
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- woody plant stress tolerance
- multidimensional stress response
- tree-microbe interactions
- transcriptional regulation
- post-translational modifications
- epigenetic memory
- hormonal signaling
- combined environmental stress
- abiotic and biotic stress integration
- long-term adaptation
- climate resilience
- single-cell transcriptomics
- gene family expansion
- metabolic reprogramming
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