Elemental Composition and Systematics of Halophytes
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 268
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant; environment science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plants; vegetation; inorganic and organic plant chemical composition; biominerals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants that grow in saline environments are highly specialized to withstand the conditions that characterize these extreme biotopes. These environments occupy large territories of the Earth’s surface in several climates, from cold to warm and arid to humid. Saline areas can be found in littoral environments, in continental areas such as saltpans, or even in salinized soils because of extensive crops. Throughout evolution, halophyte plants have developed several adaptation mechanisms to these conditions that can be observed in their morphology, anatomy, and physiology. Therefore, saline ecosystems constitute the natural habitat of halophytes and, therefore, a wealth of biodiversity.
The physiological adaptation of some halophytes includes ion accumulation in their tissues (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, etc.) that can lead to the formation of inorganic and organic salts; and the biosynthesis of several organic osmolytes, such as sugars, alcohols, phenols, flavonoids, fatty acids, and other chemical compounds of potential interest. Thus, they can be considered a source of minerals and of nutrients. Taking this into consideration, and also the high extension of salinized agricultural soils, the use of halophytes as potential new crops and food sources is essential in the effort to feed the existing population on Earth.
Halophytic plants have been shown to be efficient in resisting heavy metals through exclusion and tolerance mechanisms. Research is needed to identify native species that can select heavy metals from areas disturbed and contaminated by mining and polluted soils at either oil or gas fields.
For this Special Issue, we are inviting original research papers, communications, and review articles covering the organic and inorganic chemical composition of halophytes, as well as macro- and micropatterns of elemental distribution in organs and tissues, and physiological strategies and biodiversity of species adapted to saline environments.
Prof. Dr. Vicenta de la Fuente García
Prof. Dr. Lourdes Rufo Nieto
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- halophytes
- biodiversity
- nutrients
- ion accumulation
- organic and inorganic composition
- elemental distribution
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