Special Issue "Seed Behavior in Soil"
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2019).
Special Issue Editors
Interests: seed biology; seed germination; seed dormancy; soil seedbank; seed persistence; seedling emergence and early growth; plant phenology
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Interests: forest seeds; seed storage; oxidative stress; seed germination; seed testing; seed biology; seed/plant ecology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Seeds play a fundamental role in determining the composition and diversity of plant communities in natural and human-disturbed ecosystems. Knowing the fate of seeds in soil at biological, spatial, or temporal levels is key to understanding plant population dynamics. How seeds act in soil depend on many factors related to species-specific characteristics and requirements, and their interaction with the physical and chemical properties of the soil environment. Seeds remain in soil from dispersion until seedling establishment, and their behavior during this period is of strategic importance for species survival.
An interdisciplinary approach involving researchers from different fields related to plants, soil, ecology, physiology and modelling should expand our understanding of seed fate in soil and, consequently, on the success of a given floral community’s composition in natural and anthropogenic ecosystems.
Despite the considerable advances in our knowledge of seed fate in the environment, many aspects remain unexplored. The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together papers that attempt to answer questions relating in particular to: (1) seed dynamics in soil; (2) seed persistence and pathogens and predation; (3) seed bank ecology; (4) dormancy, germination and emergence; and (5) seed response to particular environmental conditions (fire, floods, droughts, extreme weather events, etc.).
Prof. Dr. Roberta Masin
Dr. Geângelo Petene Calvi
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 papers will be 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 monthly 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 1800 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
- Seed bank dynamics
- Seed longevity
- Dormancy
- Germination and emergence
- Seed predation and microbial degradation
- Environmental respons