Plant Behavioral Ecology

Dear Colleagues,

Plant behavioral ecology is a rapidly emerging field focused on our understanding of the adaptive behaviors and responses exhibited by plants in their interactions with other organisms and their environment. This fascinating field has been somewhat underestimated by researchers, even though Darwin's pioneering experiments on plant behavior date back more than 100 years. We now know that plants can communicate with each other both through aboveground and underground organs, display intelligence, recognize individuals of their own species, actively signal resources, and even deceive pollinators. They also exhibit sensitivity to human disturbance and urbanization and compete or cooperate with other plants for resources. These discoveries challenge the perception of plants as passive organisms.

Considering plants as models for studying behavior is highly advantageous because, unlike animals, plants are free from anthropomorphism, allowing for a more objective generalization of results. This Special Issue aims to summarize recent progress in plant behavior, encompassing all possible behavioral domains. We are particularly interested in works that explore the evolutionary causes of plant adaptive responses based on laboratory and/or field data, although reviews and innovative ideas are also welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Pavol Prokop
Guest Editor

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.

• plant movement
• plant behavior
• flower–pollinator interaction
• adaptive behavior
• plant–herbivore interactions