We are at a defining moment in the history of our planet in which we face climate change driven by the emission of greenhouse gases due to human activity that have resulted in massive shifts in weather patterns including an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), an increase in temperatures around the world, and increased climate-related constraints with a tremendous negative impact in aquatic and agroecosystems that has propelled organisms to adapt to these challenging environmental conditions. While genetic composition of natural populations in an ecosystem plays a significant role in this adaptation process, there is mounting evidence of epigenetic processes contributing to the phenotypic variation of the native species during acclimation to the constantly changing climatic conditions.

Epigenetics study heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve modifications in the DNA sequence per se and arise in response to internal and external environmental cues. Organisms use epigenetic modifications as a mean to transfer environmental information to their offspring. While the plasticity of the genome has been widely accepted, the mechanisms that propel populations towards variations in phenotypes are beginning to be elucidated. On the other hand, climate change constitutes one of the biggest challenges that plant scientists have been facing with the need of increasing crop yields in an uncertain environment. The objective of this Research Topic is to bring together research in two fields: climate change and epigenetics, aiming to uncover epigenetic processes underlying acclimation and adaptation of plants to climate change towards finding agronomic solutions to meet the ever rising worldwide demand for food.

The aim of this Research Topic is to assemble studies on the impact of environmental cues related to climate change in defining epigenetic modifications and how these modifications, in turn, can be exploited to tailor crop plants to overcome the threat to food production.

We welcome reviews, original research, methods, opinions, and perspectives articles that may include but are not limited to the following topics:

How climate change drives epigenetic modifications?
Adaptation of natural populations to changing environmental conditions
How climate change driven epigenetic modifications alter plant stress responses?
How epigenetic research can be used to increase crop yield in the near future?

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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