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Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments
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Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 26995

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elisa Pellegrini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Freshwater Biological Laboratory, Department of Biology, Universitetsparken 4, 2100 København Ø, Denmark
Interests: plant biology; flood tolerance; salinity tolerance; soil science; anoxic soils; phytotoxins; sulfides; rhizosphere; plant–soil interface; wetlands
Dr. Francesco Boscutti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Interests: biodiversity conservation; plant ecology; biological invasion; diversity patterns; climate change; functional ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

This Special Issue aims to gather together the latest research updates on the interactions between plants and soil in a broad range of wetlands and flooded environments in an effort to address and further improve our knowledge of this interdisciplinary topic. Plant–soil interactions are crucial to consider for the appropriate management of lands subject to flooding, with the ultimate goal of protecting cultivated areas and promoting effective actions of conservation and restoration of wetlands.

Expected changes in flooding regimes will impact on soils, altering nutrient cycling and soil processes (e.g., organic matter mineralisation). The extended lack of oxygen in soils and the consequent development of harmful phytotoxins (sulfides) influence plant growth and metabolism (fermentative metabolism). Plant communities shift in species composition and community diversity due to plant–plant interactions (competition). Plant–soil interactions in flooded environments are unique. Some acclimated plants show specific traits that can considerably modify the characteristics of the rhizosphere, which in turn can relieve the stress of flooding in plants.

This Special Issue will accept papers from a broad scope of subjects, including plant ecology, plant biology, plant physiology, molecular biology, soil biology, soil chemistry, biogeochemistry, and wetland management, restoration, and remediation. Original research articles, perspective papers, short communications, and mini-reviews are welcome.

Dr. Elisa Pellegrini
Dr. Francesco Boscutti
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

  • flooding
  • waterlogging
  • plant zonation
  • soil anoxia
  • abiotic stress
  • flooding tolerance
  • hypoxia
  • rhizosphere
  • phytotoxins
  • bioaccumulation.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1793 KiB  
Article
Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes
by Elisa Pellegrini, Guido Incerti, Ole Pedersen, Natasha Moro, Alessandro Foscari, Valentino Casolo, Marco Contin and Francesco Boscutti
Plants 2022, 11(15), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11151940 - 26 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1695
Abstract
The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We identified facilitative [...] Read more.
The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We identified facilitative and competitive interactions along flooding gradients and tested the role of edaphic properties in exacerbating stress and shaping plant-plant interactions. Morphological traits of two target halophytes (Limonium narbonense and Sarcocornia fruticosa), flooding intensity, soil texture and soil organic C were recorded. The relative plant fitness index was assessed for the two species based on the relative growth in plurispecific rather than monospecific plant communities. Plant fitness increased with increasing stress supporting the SGH. L. narbonense showed larger fitness in plurispecific stands whereas S. fruticosa performed better in conspecific stands. Significant intra- or interspecific interactions were observed along the stress gradient defined by the combination of flooding and clay content in soil. When considering the limited soil organic C as stressor, soil properties were more important than flooding in defining plant-plant interactions. We highlight the need for future improvements of the SGH approach by including edaphic stressors in the model and their possible interactions with the main abiotic drivers of zonation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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12 pages, 2045 KiB  
Article
Physiological Adaptation and Plant Distribution along a Steep Hydrological Gradient
by Kaj Sand-Jensen, Jens Borum, Claus Lindskov Møller and Lars Baastrup-Spohr
Plants 2022, 11(13), 1683; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11131683 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3045
Abstract
Plant species often separate strongly along steep environmental gradients. Our objective was to study how coupling between plant physiology and environmental conditions shapes vegetation characteristics along a distinct hydrological gradient. We therefore investigated species photosynthesis in air and under water within a limited [...] Read more.
Plant species often separate strongly along steep environmental gradients. Our objective was to study how coupling between plant physiology and environmental conditions shapes vegetation characteristics along a distinct hydrological gradient. We therefore investigated species photosynthesis in air and under water within a limited area from dry-as-dust to complete submergence in a nutrient-poor limestone habitat on Öland’s Alvar, Sweden. We found structural and physiological adaptations of species to endure water limitation at the dry end (e.g., moss cushions and CAM-metabolism) and diffusive carbon limitation (e.g., bicarbonate use) at the submerged end of the gradient. As anticipated, mean photosynthesis in air increased 18-fold from the species-poor assembly of cushion-mosses and Sedum CAM-species on mm-thin limestone pavements to the species-rich assembly of C-3 terrestrial plants in deeper and wetter soils. A GLM-model indicated that 90% of the variation in species richness could be explained by a positive effect of soil depth, a negative effect of the duration of water cover and their interaction. In water, mean photosynthesis was highest among aquatic species, low among Sedum species and cushion mosses, and negligible among C-3 terrestrial plants. While aquatic species dried out in air, drought-resistant small species were probably competitively excluded from the more suitable terrestrial habitats on deeper soils with moderate flooding by taller species of high photosynthetic capability. In conclusion, the clear distribution of species along the steep hydrological gradient reflects distinct structural and physiological adaptations, environmental filtering and interspecific competition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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18 pages, 5020 KiB  
Article
RNA-Seq Reveals Waterlogging-Triggered Root Plasticity in Mungbean Associated with Ethylene and Jasmonic Acid Signal Integrators for Root Regeneration
by Jaruwan Sreeratree, Pimprapai Butsayawarapat, Tanapon Chaisan, Prakit Somta and Piyada Juntawong
Plants 2022, 11(7), 930; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11070930 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5854
Abstract
Global climate changes increase the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events, which result in flooding or soil waterlogging. One way to overcome these low-oxygen stresses is via modifying the plant root system to improve internal aeration. Here, we used a comparative RNA-seq [...] Read more.
Global climate changes increase the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events, which result in flooding or soil waterlogging. One way to overcome these low-oxygen stresses is via modifying the plant root system to improve internal aeration. Here, we used a comparative RNA-seq based transcriptomic approach to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of waterlogging-triggered root plasticity in mungbean (Vigna radiata), a major grain legume cultivated in Asia. Two mungbean varieties with contrasting waterlogging tolerance due to the plasticity of the root system architecture were subjected to short-term and long-term waterlogging. Then, RNA-seq was performed. Genes highly expressed in both genotypes under short-term waterlogging are related to glycolysis and fermentation. Under long-term waterlogging, the expression of these genes was less induced in the tolerant variety, suggesting it had effectively adapted to waterlogging via enhancing root plasticity. Remarkably, under short-term waterlogging, the expression of several transcription factors that serve as integrators for ethylene and jasmonic acid signals controlling root stem cell development was highly upregulated only in the tolerant variety. Sequentially, root development-related genes were more expressed in the tolerant variety under long-term waterlogging. Our findings suggest that ethylene and jasmonic acids may contribute to waterlogging-triggered root plasticity by relaying environmental signals to reprogram root regeneration. This research provides the basis for the breeding and genetic engineering of waterlogging-tolerant crops in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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13 pages, 1096 KiB  
Article
Extreme Precipitation and Flooding Contribute to Sudden Vegetation Dieback in a Coastal Salt Marsh
by Camille LaFosse Stagg, Michael J. Osland, Jena A. Moon, Laura C. Feher, Claudia Laurenzano, Tiffany C. Lane, William R. Jones and Stephen B. Hartley
Plants 2021, 10(9), 1841; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091841 - 5 Sep 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4631
Abstract
Climate extremes are becoming more frequent with global climate change and have the potential to cause major ecological regime shifts. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated [...] Read more.
Climate extremes are becoming more frequent with global climate change and have the potential to cause major ecological regime shifts. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Historical salt marsh dieback events have been linked to climate extremes, such as extreme drought. However, to our knowledge, this is the first example of extreme precipitation and flooding leading to mass mortality of the salt marsh foundation species, Spartina alterniflora. Here, we investigated the relationships between baseline climate conditions, extreme climate conditions, and large-scale plant mortality to provide an indicator of ecosystem vulnerability to extreme precipitation events. We identified plant zonal boundaries along an elevation gradient with plant species tolerant of hypersaline conditions, including succulents and graminoids, at higher elevations, and flood-tolerant species, including S. alterniflora, at lower elevations. We quantified a flooding threshold for wetland collapse under baseline conditions characterized by incremental increases in flooding (i.e., sea level rise). We proposed that the sudden widespread dieback of S. alterniflora following Hurricane Harvey was the result of extreme precipitation and flooding that exceeded this threshold for S. alterniflora survival. Indeed, S. alterniflora dieback occurred at elevations above the wetland collapse threshold, illustrating a heightened vulnerability to flooding that could not be predicted from baseline climate conditions. Moreover, the spatial pattern of vegetation dieback indicated that underlying stressors may have also increased susceptibility to dieback in some S. alterniflora marshes.Collectively, our results highlight a new mechanism of sudden vegetation dieback in S. alterniflora marshes that is triggered by extreme precipitation and flooding. Furthermore, this work emphasizes the importance of considering interactions between multiple abiotic and biotic stressors that can lead to shifts in tolerance thresholds and incorporating climate extremes into climate vulnerability assessments to accurately characterize future climate threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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Review

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10 pages, 957 KiB  
Review
The Pyramiding of Three Key Root Traits Aid Breeding of Flood-Tolerant Rice
by Chen Lin, Tongtong Zhu, Lucas León Peralta Ogorek, Youping Wang, Margret Sauter and Ole Pedersen
Plants 2022, 11(15), 2033; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11152033 - 4 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
Flooding is constantly threatening the growth and yield of crops worldwide. When flooding kicks in, the soil becomes water-saturated and, therefore, the roots are the first organs to be exposed to excess water. Soon after flooding, the soil turns anoxic and the roots [...] Read more.
Flooding is constantly threatening the growth and yield of crops worldwide. When flooding kicks in, the soil becomes water-saturated and, therefore, the roots are the first organs to be exposed to excess water. Soon after flooding, the soil turns anoxic and the roots can no longer obtain molecular oxygen for respiration from the rhizosphere, rendering the roots dysfunctional. Rice, however, is a semi-aquatic plant and therefore relatively tolerant to flooding due to adaptive traits developed during evolution. In the present review, we have identified three key root traits, viz. cortical aerenchyma formation, a barrier to radial oxygen loss and adventitious root growth. The understanding of the physiological function, the molecular mechanisms, and the genetic regulation of these three traits has grown substantially and therefore forms the backbone of this review. Our synthesis of the recent literature shows each of the three key root traits contributes to flood tolerance in rice. One trait, however, is generally insufficient to enhance plant tolerance to flooding. Consequently, we suggest comprehensive use of all three adaptive traits in a pyramiding approach in order to improve tolerance to flooding in our major crops, in general, and in rice, in particular. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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15 pages, 3083 KiB  
Review
Radial Oxygen Loss from Plant Roots—Methods
by Juan de la Cruz Jiménez, Elisa Pellegrini, Ole Pedersen and Mikio Nakazono
Plants 2021, 10(11), 2322; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112322 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4503
Abstract
In flooded soils, an efficient internal aeration system is essential for root growth and plant survival. Roots of many wetland species form barriers to restrict radial O2 loss (ROL) to the rhizosphere. The formation of such barriers greatly enhances longitudinal O2 [...] Read more.
In flooded soils, an efficient internal aeration system is essential for root growth and plant survival. Roots of many wetland species form barriers to restrict radial O2 loss (ROL) to the rhizosphere. The formation of such barriers greatly enhances longitudinal O2 diffusion from basal parts towards the root tip, and the barrier also impedes the entry of phytotoxic compounds produced in flooded soils into the root. Nevertheless, ROL from roots is an important source of O2 for rhizosphere oxygenation and the oxidation of toxic compounds. In this paper, we review the methodological aspects for the most widely used techniques for the qualitative visualization and quantitative determination of ROL from roots. Detailed methodological approaches, practical set-ups and examples of ROL from roots with or without barriers to ROL are included. This paper provides practical knowledge relevant to several disciplines, including plant–soil interactions, biogeochemistry and eco-physiological aspects of roots and soil biota. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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15 pages, 738 KiB  
Review
Understanding a Mechanistic Basis of ABA Involvement in Plant Adaptation to Soil Flooding: The Current Standing
by Yancui Zhao, Wenying Zhang, Salah Fatouh Abou-Elwafa, Sergey Shabala and Le Xu
Plants 2021, 10(10), 1982; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10101982 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3518
Abstract
Soil flooding severely impairs agricultural crop production. Plants can cope with flooding conditions by embracing an orchestrated set of morphological adaptations and physiological adjustments that are regulated by the elaborated hormonal signaling network. The most prominent of these hormones is ethylene, which has [...] Read more.
Soil flooding severely impairs agricultural crop production. Plants can cope with flooding conditions by embracing an orchestrated set of morphological adaptations and physiological adjustments that are regulated by the elaborated hormonal signaling network. The most prominent of these hormones is ethylene, which has been firmly established as a critical signal in flooding tolerance. ABA (abscisic acid) is also known as a “stress hormone” that modulates various responses to abiotic stresses; however, its role in flooding tolerance remains much less established. Here, we discuss the progress made in the elucidation of morphological adaptations regulated by ABA and its crosstalk with other phytohormones under flooding conditions in model plants and agriculturally important crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant–Soil Interactions in Wetlands and Flooded Environments)
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