Desiccation Tolerance in Land Plants: from Mechanisms to Evolution

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Background

Desiccation tolerance (DT), the ability to recover from an almost complete loss of protoplasmic water, is a phenomenon that is rare in vegetative tissues but common in the reproductive structures of green plants. Vegetative desiccation tolerance (VDT) evolved early in the phylogeny of land plants, probably from DT, and was a critical factor in land colonization. VDT was lost during the evolution of tracheophytes but reappeared independently in lycophytes and ferns and, via seed reprogramming desiccation tolerance, in at least 13 different angiosperm lineages. Desiccation tolerance is not only agronomically crucial (pollen dispersal and seed storage) and a source of drought tolerance genes, but also enables plants to colonize marginal environments and, in the case of bryophytes, to form complex cross-kingdom communities (biocrusts) that can reshape environments.

Despite significant progress, there is still much to learn about the role of desiccation tolerance in plant evolution, community ecology and habitat selection, or phenotype complexity at the structural, physiological and biochemical levels. We also know little about the complexity of dehydration sensing, signaling and gene regulatory networks that respond to dehydration, and the structural aspects of cell biology during dehydration, in the dry state, and after rehydration.

The use of genomics-based tools offers new approaches to understanding the role of DT in phylogenetics and population genetics, as well as community ecology. New tools and physiological strategies (e.g. molecular mobility, phase separation) contribute to a deeper understanding of desiccation tolerance in both seeds and vegetative tissues. Advanced tools and approaches, e.g., multi-omics and genome editing, will provide better insights into how plants perceive, respond to, and adapt to dehydrating environments. DT -related genes are currently being used in strategies to improve drought tolerance in plants and could provide solutions to the ever-growing problems associated with global climate change and agricultural productivity.

The goal of the current Research Topic is to address important, latest and emerging research trends in plant desiccation tolerance and responses to dehydration. We welcome submissions of various types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews and methods, especially on the following topics:

1. Physiological responses (including hormonal control) of desiccation tolerance plants to dehydration and rehydration
2. Molecular mechanisms involved in desiccation tolerance in plants and seeds
3. Signal sensing and transduction involved in desiccation tolerance
4. Comparative analysis between water deficit stress, severe dehydration (wilting) and desiccation
5. Evolution of desiccation tolerance in land plants
6. Biodiversity, habitat selection and community ecology of desiccation tolerance plants
7. Novel methods and technologies (bioinformatics tools, cell culture, transformation, bioengineering, genome editing etc.) to study desiccation tolerance.

Keywords: Desiccation tolerance, phylogenetics, physiology, ecology, omics, drought-tolerant crop, plant hormone, gene regulatory network

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