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Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest...
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Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 12074

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Fan Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: eco-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of woody plants to abiotic stresses; ecological restoration and adaptable mechanisms of suitable plants in degraded ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The capability of forests to adapt to global climate change is crucial for the sustainable development of the our planet, especially in terms of carbon balance. Abiotic stresses will be strengthened with global climate change, which will also alter plant metabolism, leading to negative effects on the growth, development, productivity, and distribution of forest trees. Although there is a large amount of data available about the responses to abiotic stress in plant species, it is essential to highlight the tolerant, resistant, protective, and acclimation mechanisms of stress among forest trees; insights into these mechanisms help us to explore how trees work as a whole and how they interact with their environments. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to gather research addressing the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of forest trees to various abiotic stresses (waterlogging, drought, salinity, heat, chilling, etc.).  In addition, plants exhibit great variations in their tolerance mechanisms within species, between species, and among the plants of different groups. For example, the arbor species shows competition for limited resources; insight into this mechanism might help us to elucidate the variations in neighboring relationships in relation to eco-physiologies and molecular responses to abiotic stress. This Special Issue calls for research articles or reviews that present novel insights into the response mechanisms of trees under single or multiple abiotic stresses. The topics covered in this Special Issue will be of interest for a broad readership in fields of tree physiology, functional ecology, molecular ecology, and global climate change biology.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Eco-physiological responses to abiotic stress at the whole-plant or organ-tissue levels in trees;
  • Neighboring relationship variations between forest trees under environmental stress;
  • Molecular adaptable mechanisms to individual or combined environmental stresses;
  • Signaling transduction pathway;
  • Accumulation of compatible solutes;
  • Adjustment of hormonal balance;
  • Antioxidative metabolism;
  • Different gene expression;
  • Synthesis of stress proteins.

Prof. Dr. Fan Yang
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. Forests 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 2600 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

  • antioxidative systems
  • compatible solutes
  • tree physiology
  • forest ecology
  • gene expression
  • hormonal balance
  • membrane systems
  • molecular adaptations
  • neighboring relationship
  • stressed proteins

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4640 KiB  
Article
Effects of Drought and Flooding on Growth and Physiology of Cinnamomum camphora Seedlings
by Yongju Zhao, Defu Wang and Honglang Duan
Forests 2023, 14(7), 1343; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14071343 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
In the context of climate change, future patterns of precipitation are expected to increase the intensity and frequency of drought and flooding stress. This is also likely to result in more frequent flooding–drought alternation events. Drought and flooding stress can have negative effects [...] Read more.
In the context of climate change, future patterns of precipitation are expected to increase the intensity and frequency of drought and flooding stress. This is also likely to result in more frequent flooding–drought alternation events. Drought and flooding stress can have negative effects on tree morphology, physiology, and biochemistry, which can potentially pose long-term threats to tree survival and further disrupt the stability of forest ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how trees would cope with these stressors and their alternations through growth and physiology responses. Potted seedlings of C. camphora were grown under a rainout shelter in the field with four water treatments for 40 days: well-watered (WW), drought stress (DS), flooding stress (FS) and flooding–drought alternation (FDF). Growth, leaf gas exchange, water potential, and biochemical traits were measured. Results show different seedling growth patterns under drought and flooding stress. Drought increased the root-to-shoot ratio (+25%) but flooding favored leaf growth (+33%). Decreases in photosynthesis under drought and flooding were mainly related to stomatal limitations, accompanied by abscisic acid accumulation under drought but not under flooding. Drought reduced water potential, and flooding–drought alternation only decreased water potential in its drought phase. Flooding treatment had no effect on water potential. Drought treatment increased the proline concentrations (+74%) and carbon isotopic composition (+3.7%), but all treatments had no effect on the concentrations of elements in leaves. Drought stress led to carbon depletion in both stem and root, whereas flooding stress primarily induced carbon depletion in the root. Flooding–drought alternation was accompanied by complex physiological responses, including physiological recovery when the stress (flood, drought) was relieved. Our results have shown the different effects of drought and flooding on the growth and physiology of C. camphora seedlings, emphasizing the need to consider specific water stress conditions in future studies and providing a theoretical basis for better management of this tree species in urban areas under variable rainfall patterns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees)
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16 pages, 3595 KiB  
Article
Effects of Acid Rain Stress on the Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics of Three Plant Species
by Yuxuan Zhang, Feng Yang, Yunqi Wang, Yonglin Zheng and Junlin Zhu
Forests 2023, 14(5), 1067; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14051067 - 22 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4919
Abstract
The physiological and biochemical indicators of plants reflect the plant’s adaptation to environmental changes and provide information for the planting and management of acid-resistant tree species. To analyze the responses of typical tree species to recent changes in acid rain conditions in Jinyun [...] Read more.
The physiological and biochemical indicators of plants reflect the plant’s adaptation to environmental changes and provide information for the planting and management of acid-resistant tree species. To analyze the responses of typical tree species to recent changes in acid rain conditions in Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing, we focused on three representative tree species in the Jinyun Mountain area of Chongqing: Pinus massoniana, Phyllostachys edulis, and Cinnamomum camphora. A mixed acid rain experiment with five gradients of natural rainfall (NR) and pH values of 7.0, 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5 was conducted in May 2021. The changes in physiological and biochemical indicators (net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, transpiration rate, light saturation point, light compensation point, apparent quantum efficiency, dark respiration rate, soluble sugar, starch, soluble protein, proline, malondialdehyde, and antioxidant enzyme activity) were determined. The results show the following: 1. Compared with other treatments, NR and slightly acidic rain increased the relative chlorophyll content in plant seedlings. 2. The synthesis of soluble sugars, starches, and soluble proteins was inhibited to different degrees in the three species under acid rain stress at pH ≤ 3.5. 3. The enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) initially increased and then decreased with an increase in acidity. 4. Acid rain treatments with pH ≤ 4.5 reduced the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of plants; the higher the acidity, the lower the Pn. Conclusion: A comprehensive comparison of the indicators revealed that NR and mild acid rain enhanced the plant seedlings’ physiological and biochemical characteristics. A pH of 3.5 was the threshold where acid rain had an adverse effect on Pinus massoniana, Phyllostachys edulis, and Cinnamomum camphora. The high indicator values for NR indicate that these tree species have adapted to current conditions in the Jinyun Mountain area of Chongqing. This study provides new information for selecting tree species adapted to the acid rain environment in Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees)
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15 pages, 2928 KiB  
Article
Effects of Waterlogging Stress on the Neighboring Relationships between Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.) Merr. and Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen Saplings
by Dadong Li, Luyao Guo, Mengjie Tian, Lingfeng Miao, Lishan Xiang and Fan Yang
Forests 2023, 14(2), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020377 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Neighboring relationships among plants have been extensively reported, but little is known about the effect of waterlogging. In this study, Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.) Merr. and Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen saplings were used in investigating the neighboring relationships between legumes and non-leguminous woody plants [...] Read more.
Neighboring relationships among plants have been extensively reported, but little is known about the effect of waterlogging. In this study, Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.) Merr. and Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen saplings were used in investigating the neighboring relationships between legumes and non-leguminous woody plants under different planting and watering regimes. Results showed that C. operculatus and D. odorifera are waterlogging-tolerant species, and C. operculatus with high proportion of adventitious roots would be at an advantage during waterlogging. The growth performance of D. odorifera was better than that of C. operculatus under well-watered single-planting conditions. However, under well-watered mixed-planting conditions, C. operculatus had an obvious inhibitory effect on the growth traits (increments in stem height and leaf number, total leaf area, and total plant fresh weight) and physiological responses (net photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration) of D. odorifera, whereas the growth of C. operculatus slightly increased in the presence of D. odorifera. Under waterlogging mixed-planting conditions, the facilitative effect was more intensive; the total leaf area, underground fresh weight, and total plant fresh weight of C. operculatus significantly increased, but a negative effect was found in D. odorifer. These results showed that the neighboring relationship between these two species is predominantly favorable to C. operculatus. This research sheds new light on screening waterlogging-tolerant arbor species and species collocation during vegetation restoration and reconstruction activities in wetland systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees)
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14 pages, 3052 KiB  
Article
Sex-Related Ecophysiological Responses of Hippophae rhamnoide Saplings to Simulate Sand Burial Treatment in Desertification Areas
by Juan Chen, Yuhu Lin, Ling Fang, Jinfang Li, Suju Han, Yudong Li and Yan Li
Forests 2023, 14(1), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010101 - 5 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
(1) Background: In recent years, Hippophae rhamnoides has been used extensively to prevent desertification in China due to its nitrogen (N) fixation and sand stabilization abilities. However, as a dioecious species, few studies have focused on the sexual dimorphism of H. rhamnoides in [...] Read more.
(1) Background: In recent years, Hippophae rhamnoides has been used extensively to prevent desertification in China due to its nitrogen (N) fixation and sand stabilization abilities. However, as a dioecious species, few studies have focused on the sexual dimorphism of H. rhamnoides in response to sand burial, which frequently presents in desertification areas. (2) Methods: In this paper, we explored the ecophysiological responses of female and male saplings of H. rhamnoides under unburied treatment (control) and different sand burial depths (denoted as T33, T67, T90 and T133, corresponding to sand burial depths of 33, 67, 90 and 133 percent of the mean initial height of the saplings, respectively). (3) Results: Compared with unburied controls, the T33 treatment significantly promoted biomass accumulation and photosynthetic capacity, whereas T67 and T90 treatments inhibited biomass and physiological parameters of the two sexes. Deeper sand burial treatments, i.e., T90 and T133, significantly decreased the survival rates of the two sexes. Furthermore, the sex-specific responses of the two sexes of H. rhamnoides were affected by different depths of sand burial. Males had higher levels of stem starch and root sucrose and exhibited a larger increase in root nodule biomass under the T33 treatment, indicating better carbohydrate utilization and N fixation, whereas females showed lower total biomass and fewer root nodules, as well as more inhibition of photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, water potential and root carbohydrates, indicating more negative effects on females than males under the T67 treatment. (4) Conclusions: We conclude that sex-related response and adaptation to sand burial depths may potentially affect the colonization, sex ratio and ecological function of the two sexes of H. rhamnoides in desertification areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees)
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19 pages, 3438 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Spermidine Alleviated Waterlogging Damages in Two Varieties of Camellia oleifera
by El-Hadji Malick Cisse, Jin-Fu Huang, Da-Dong Li, Ling-Feng Miao, Li-Shan Xiang and Fan Yang
Forests 2023, 14(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010091 - 3 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1530
Abstract
The potential management of waterlogging-damaged plants can be through the promotion of aliphatic polyamine accumulation, such as spermidine (SPD), in non-accumulator and accumulator species under stress. Camellia oleifera, commonly called tea oil, is an evergreen shrub confronting waterlogged soils in Hainan forest [...] Read more.
The potential management of waterlogging-damaged plants can be through the promotion of aliphatic polyamine accumulation, such as spermidine (SPD), in non-accumulator and accumulator species under stress. Camellia oleifera, commonly called tea oil, is an evergreen shrub confronting waterlogged soils in Hainan forest plantations during the pluvial season. As far as we know, few studies focused on the responses of C. oleifera to abiotic stresses, such as waterlogging (WL), and the involvement of SPD in WL tolerance remains unclear. Therefore, two cultivars of C. oleifera (CoH1 and CoH2) were subjected to WL and exogenous SPD to shed light on the role of SPD on WL tolerance via the morphological and physio-biochemical responses of C. oleifera under stress. The results showed that the two varieties of C. oleifera were sensitive to WL stress, and spraying SPD enhanced WL tolerance via root activities, photosynthesis, redox-homeostasis, antioxidant machinery, and compatible solute components. Thus, exogenous SPD significantly reduced the damages caused by WL in C. oleifera seedlings. Moreover, the alternative oxidase (AOX) protein content was down regulated by WL in both varieties of C. oleifera, whereas exogenous SPD enhanced the AOX protein under stress. The two varieties of C. oleifera generally had similar morphological and physiological responses to WL. However, CoH2 demonstrated better photosynthesis compared to CoH1. The results of the present study provide a significant outlook to improve the accumulation of SPD in trees under abiotic stress, particularly via genome editing techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Adaptable Strategies to Abiotic Stress in Forest Trees)
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