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Responses of Extreme Environment Plants to Abiotic Stress
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Responses of Extreme Environment Plants to Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024 | Viewed by 5271

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. León A. Bravo

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Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular Vegetal, Instituto de Agroindustria, Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales & Center of Plant, Soil Interaction and Natural Resources Biotechnology, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile
Interests: Antarctic plant science; climate change; abiotic stress physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Patricia Sáez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular Vegetal, Instituto de Agroindustria, Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Medioambiente, Temuco, Chile e Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Concepción, Chile
Interests: Antarctic plant science; plant physiology; abiotic stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Extremophytes are plants capable of inhabiting environments characterized by harsh abiotic conditions that limit the fundamental metabolic and physiological processes. Therefore, disentangling the ecophysiological traits enabling these species to withstand the harsh conditions becomes highly attractive. Thus, one of the most interesting aspects to study extremophile plants is the possibility to identify key traits and genes for plant adaptation to unfavorable climatic conditions, which may result in a potential tool for developing novel stress-resistant genotypes. Additionally, most extremophile environments have been identified as areas strongly affected by climate change (Antarctica, Arctic, high mountains), which further increases the interest in studying these singular species and further complicates their responses against abiotic stress. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to consolidate a set of articles which examine the physiological, molecular, and biochemical mechanisms behind the singularity of extremophile plant species in terms of adaptation/acclimation to harsh environments as reservoirs of stress resistance mechanisms and the challenges they face in dealing with the current scenario of climate change.

Prof. Dr. León A. Bravo
Dr. Patricia Sáez
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

  •  high elevation
  •  low and high temperature
  •  permafrost
  •  snow cover
  •  deserts and extreme drought
  •  desiccation tolerance
  •  hypersaline environments
  •  high irradiance
  •  UV-radiation
  •  oxidative damage
  •  ice encasement
  •  hypoxia

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3329 KiB  
Article
Metabolomic Profile and Functional State of Oat Plants (Avena sativa L.) Sown under Low-Temperature Conditions in the Cryolithozone
by Vasiliy V. Nokhsorov, Fedor F. Protopopov, Igor V. Sleptsov, Lidia V. Petrova and Klim A. Petrov
Plants 2024, 13(8), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081076 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 891
Abstract
Oats are one of the most useful and widespread cereal crops in the world. In permafrost conditions (Central Yakutia), based on metabolic changes in late summer-sown oat plants (Avena sativa L.), the key processes involved in the cold acclimation of a valuable [...] Read more.
Oats are one of the most useful and widespread cereal crops in the world. In permafrost conditions (Central Yakutia), based on metabolic changes in late summer-sown oat plants (Avena sativa L.), the key processes involved in the cold acclimation of a valuable cereal species were identified. During the onset of low ambient temperatures, metabolites from leaf samples were profiled using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 41 metabolites were identified in oat leaves. It was found that acclimation to suboptimal temperatures during the fall period leads to biochemical (accumulation of mono- and disaccharides and decrease in fatty acids and polyols) as well as physiological and biophysical changes (decrease in leaf PRI reflectance indices and chlorophyll a fluorescence). Therefore, the study contributes to a more holistic understanding of oat metabolism under low-temperature cryolithozone stress. It is believed that the analysis of changes in leaf reflection properties and JIP-test parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence using leaf metabolomic profiling can be used in the selection of valuable varieties of cereal crops to obtain plant fodders with high nutrient contents under conditions of a sharply continental climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responses of Extreme Environment Plants to Abiotic Stress)
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15 pages, 6135 KiB  
Article
ScATG8 Gene Cloned from Desert Moss Syntrichia caninervis Exhibits Multiple Stress Tolerance
by Ting Cao, Yakupjan Haxim, Xiujin Liu, Qilin Yang, Amangul Hawar, Abdul Waheed, Xiaoshuang Li and Daoyuan Zhang
Plants 2024, 13(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010059 - 23 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1363
Abstract
Syntrichia caninervis is the dominant species of biological soil crust in the desert, including the Gurbantunggut Desert in China. It is widely distributed in drylands and considered to be a new model of vegetative desiccation tolerance moss. Here, we cloned an ATG8 gene [...] Read more.
Syntrichia caninervis is the dominant species of biological soil crust in the desert, including the Gurbantunggut Desert in China. It is widely distributed in drylands and considered to be a new model of vegetative desiccation tolerance moss. Here, we cloned an ATG8 gene from S. caninervis and confirmed its function under multiple abiotic stresses, both in situ and in Physcomitrium patens. The results showed that the ScATG8 gene encoded a protein with a highly conserved ATG8 functional domain. ScATG8 gene was increasingly expressed under different abiotic stresses. Under desiccation stress, the overexpression of ScATG8 enhanced the tolerance of S. caninervis and its ability to scavenge ROS. In addition, ScATG8 overexpression promoted the growth of P. patens under multiple stress conditions. Thus, ScATG8 may be a multifunctional gene, and it plays a critical role in the survival of S. caninervis under various abiotic stresses. Our results provide new insights into the function of ATG8 in enabling desiccation tolerance and open up more possibilities for subsequent plant molecular breeding and the mining of the resistance genes of S. caninervis and other moss species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responses of Extreme Environment Plants to Abiotic Stress)
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Review

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18 pages, 2219 KiB  
Review
Ecophysiology of Antarctic Vascular Plants: An Update on the Extreme Environment Resistance Mechanisms and Their Importance in Facing Climate Change
by Constanza F. Ramírez, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Carolina Sanhueza, Valentina Vallejos, Olman Gómez-Espinoza, León A. Bravo and Patricia L. Sáez
Plants 2024, 13(3), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030449 - 3 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2310
Abstract
Antarctic flowering plants have become enigmatic because of their unique capability to colonize Antarctica. It has been shown that there is not a single trait that makes Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica so special, but rather a set of morphophysiological traits that coordinately [...] Read more.
Antarctic flowering plants have become enigmatic because of their unique capability to colonize Antarctica. It has been shown that there is not a single trait that makes Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica so special, but rather a set of morphophysiological traits that coordinately confer resistance to one of the harshest environments on the Earth. However, both their capacity to inhabit Antarctica and their uniqueness remain not fully explained from a biological point of view. These aspects have become more relevant due to the climatic changes already impacting Antarctica. This review aims to compile and update the recent advances in the ecophysiology of Antarctic vascular plants, deepen understanding of the mechanisms behind their notable resistance to abiotic stresses, and contribute to understanding their potential responses to environmental changes. The uniqueness of Antarctic plants has prompted research that emphasizes the role of leaf anatomical traits and cell wall properties in controlling water loss and CO2 exchange, the role of Rubisco kinetics traits in facilitating efficient carbon assimilation, and the relevance of metabolomic pathways in elucidating key processes such as gas exchange, nutrient uptake, and photoprotection. Climate change is anticipated to have significant and contrasting effects on the morphophysiological processes of Antarctic species. However, more studies in different locations outside Antarctica and using the latitudinal gradient as a natural laboratory to predict the effects of climate change are needed. Finally, we raise several questions that should be addressed, both to unravel the uniqueness of Antarctic vascular species and to understand their potential responses to climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responses of Extreme Environment Plants to Abiotic Stress)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Slope orientation affects the functional traits of four alpine plant species in the Julian Alps, Slovenia
Author: Tadeja Trošt Sedej; Eva Gluhar Žemlja
Author Affiliations: University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract: Alpine habitats present extreme environments for plant life, with slope orientation significantly influencing local microclimatic conditions and, consequently, plant development. Altitude is often considered a key mountain environmental factor, but the role of slope orientation has been less studied. This study investigates the relationship between slope orientation (north, south, east, and west) and functional traits of four alpine plant species: mountain cowslip (Primula auricula L.), edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum Cass.), hairy alpenrose (Rhododendron hirsutum L.), and whorled lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata L.) at the alpine summit Bela Glava (1926 m a.s.l.) in the Julian Alps, Slovenia. We assessed various functional traits, including chlorophyll a and b (Chl a, b), carotenoids (Car), anthocyanins (Ant), UV-absorbing compounds (UV AC), leaf optical properties, and leaf anatomical characteristics, monitored during two periods of the growing season. Microclimatic conditions were recorded hourly. Our findings reveal that the colder northern slope was primarily associated with variations in leaf anatomical traits, whereas the warmer southern, eastern, and western slopes were more strongly correlated with changes in pigment contents. Significant anatomical differences were observed mainly in July, with south-facing plants exhibiting thinner spongy parenchyma. Young, developing leaves sampled in July displayed greater variability in biochemical and morphological traits compared to mature leaves sampled in September. Leaf optical properties varied with slope orientation, with the southern slope showing significant differences compared to other slopes. The study indicates that microclimatic variability significantly affects the functional traits of alpine plant species due to slope orientation. Climate warming could differentially affect alpine plant traits based on slope exposure and species composition.
Highlights: • Slope orientation significantly affects the microclimatic conditions, which in turn influence the functional traits of alpine plants. • Plant responses to slope orientation were more pronounced in young, developing leaves sampled in July than in mature leaves sampled in September. • Climate warming could differentially affect alpine vegetation depending on slope exposure and species composition.

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