Since damage in plants can occur at all levels of the hierarchy, a variety of functional principles, mechanisms and processes of damage control have evolved over the course of evolution, including all hierarchical levels from the molecule to the whole plant.
In this Research Topic we plan to compile recent work that elucidates how plants can control damage. In this context, the umbrella term damage control encompasses damage prevention and damage management.
Damage prevention in plants includes the formation of gradient transitions, for example, by means of geometric features and biomechanical properties. In addition, plants prevent damage to themselves by being able to respond, acclimate, and adapt structurally and mechanically to withstand higher stresses without damage.
Furthermore, damage management ranges from rapid self-sealing and subsequent self-healing of wounds to the formation of abscission zones, the latter ensuring the controlled disintegration of biological materials systems.
Potential themes on damage prevention include but are not limited to:
- Immediate response of plants within seconds to days (e.g., wind-induced reconfiguration of leaves, branches or entire plants)
- Acclimation of individual plants to environmental constraints within days and weeks resulting in changes of their morphological, anatomical, and mechanical properties (e.g., thigmomorphogenesis)
- Development of damage control as a result of genetic change in populations over an evolutionary time
- Damage-resistance through superimposed gradual transitions of geometry, shape, size, tissue arrangement or mechanical properties
Potential themes on damage management include but are not limited to:
- Functional principles to seal and heal wounds after various damage types
- Quantitative analyses of healing efficiency (e.g., comparison of mechanical performance of intact, freshly damaged and healed samples)
- Damage tolerance
- Formation of abscission zones as temporarily and spatially determined shedding mechanisms
Note: Descriptive or derivative studies that do not address a clear developmental hypothesis or only provide incremental advancement of knowledge will not be considered for review.
Since damage in plants can occur at all levels of the hierarchy, a variety of functional principles, mechanisms and processes of damage control have evolved over the course of evolution, including all hierarchical levels from the molecule to the whole plant.
In this Research Topic we plan to compile recent work that elucidates how plants can control damage. In this context, the umbrella term damage control encompasses damage prevention and damage management.
Damage prevention in plants includes the formation of gradient transitions, for example, by means of geometric features and biomechanical properties. In addition, plants prevent damage to themselves by being able to respond, acclimate, and adapt structurally and mechanically to withstand higher stresses without damage.
Furthermore, damage management ranges from rapid self-sealing and subsequent self-healing of wounds to the formation of abscission zones, the latter ensuring the controlled disintegration of biological materials systems.
Potential themes on damage prevention include but are not limited to:
- Immediate response of plants within seconds to days (e.g., wind-induced reconfiguration of leaves, branches or entire plants)
- Acclimation of individual plants to environmental constraints within days and weeks resulting in changes of their morphological, anatomical, and mechanical properties (e.g., thigmomorphogenesis)
- Development of damage control as a result of genetic change in populations over an evolutionary time
- Damage-resistance through superimposed gradual transitions of geometry, shape, size, tissue arrangement or mechanical properties
Potential themes on damage management include but are not limited to:
- Functional principles to seal and heal wounds after various damage types
- Quantitative analyses of healing efficiency (e.g., comparison of mechanical performance of intact, freshly damaged and healed samples)
- Damage tolerance
- Formation of abscission zones as temporarily and spatially determined shedding mechanisms
Note: Descriptive or derivative studies that do not address a clear developmental hypothesis or only provide incremental advancement of knowledge will not be considered for review.
