Plant hydraulics controls the efficiency of water transport throughout the plant, which, in turn, regulates photosynthetic carbon gain and growth both at the plant and ecosystem level. Over the past decades, there has been great progress in understanding plant hydraulics. Plant hydraulics is recognized as a central hub connecting many sciences such as paleobiology, agronomy, climatology, forestry, community, and ecosystem ecology, and earth‐system science. Revealing the behaviors of hydraulics in plants from the molecular level to the community level can help us predict and mitigate the impact of climate change on ecosystems and food production. Many issues are not addressed clearly in the field. There are discrepancies in the most suitable methods to measure plant hydraulics. Future research should address the role of plant hydraulics in expansive growth, carbon assimilation, and stress resistance. The genetics and molecular biology underlying plant hydraulics also present a huge opportunity for ground‐breaking research.

This Research Topic aims to collect studies on plant hydraulic estimation and applications. Particularly, we welcome manuscripts that highlight the novel aspects of plant hydraulics, spanning from molecular to whole-plant perspectives and land surface levels, broadening the perspective on how hydraulics respond to environmental change.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Methodologies, Opinions or Perspectives, addressing the roles of plant hydraulics in response to climate change ranging from molecular to the whole plant and ecosystem level, topics may include:

• Plant hydraulic components and networks
• Methods in plant hydraulics
• Molecular genetics of plant hydraulics
• Applying plant hydraulics in vegetation and climate models
• Genomic and evolutionary basis for hydraulics adaptation to changing environments
• Modulation of plant hydraulics by environmental factors and interactions with other physiological processes.

Please note: Studies falling into the categories below will not be considered for review unless they are expanded and provide insight into the biological system or process being studied:

i) Descriptive collection of transcripts, proteins, or metabolites, including comparative sets as a result of different conditions or treatments;
ii) Descriptive studies that define gene families using basic phylogenetics and the assignment of cursory functional attributions (e.g. expression profiles, hormone or metabolites levels, promoter analysis, informatic parameters).

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Frontiers in Plant Science

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