Vascular Adaptation of Rhododendron Species to Safety and Its Implication to Root, Leaf and Reproductive Variation
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 615
Special Issue Editors
Interests: physiological ecology of plants; Rhododendron functional traits; stress tolerance adaptations; water relations in plants; invasive species
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Rhododendron is a monophyletic and diverse genus containing species that grow in arctic to tropical and sea level to alpine habitats. Growth forms vary from ground cover to canopy tree and epiphytes. Leaf size varies from less than 1 cm2 to 2.5 m2, some of which are deciduous and many of which are evergreen. Yet, vascular trait variation is constrained to relatively small vessels. The characteristically small vessels suggest adaptation against freeze-induced damage and promotes safety over efficiency. Vascular safety is adaptive for temperate and alpine shrubs, but hydraulic flow is constrained, limiting growth and promoting drought. The goal of this Special Issue is to increase the understanding of the Rhododendron vascular system and the mechanisms by which important adaptive variation in root dynamics, leaf physiology, leaf form, growth form, and reproductive traits can occur when associated with an inflexible hydraulic system.
Prof. Dr. Erik T. Nilsen
Dr. Juliana Medeiros
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Rhododendron
- stress adaptation
- hydraulic safety
- functional trait evolution
