In Tune with their Environment: How Plant Roots Cope with Environmental Signals

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About this Research Topic

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Background

Rooted at a single location, plants are confronted with a myriad of environmental signals. Plants have evolved complex structures to adapt to different biomes around the world, enabling access to and efficient collection of available resources. Following seed germination, the ability of the plantlet to adapt to a given habitat depends on its capacity to modulate its shape and develop organs that are size-appropriate for a given environment. Thus, the final shape of a plant results from the interplay between genetic makeup and challenging environmental influences. Plant plasticity relies on distinct structures called meristems (which may be primary or secondary). Primary meristems are established during early embryogenesis and are located at the apical (shoot) and basal (root) ends of the plant axis while other meristems (such as the axillary, floral and lateral root meristems) develop from already differentiated cells later during plant development.

While progress has been made regarding plant adaptation to specific niches, it remains unclear how plants can distinguish between distinct environmental conditions at the same time. How are environmental plant responses determined by multiple signaling cross-talks and what are the molecular hubs for defining these adaptations? Tailoring root plant growth in specific niches and limiting environmental conditions could result in growth depression, while favorable conditions could increase growth rates. How is this balance between halted growth and rapid root growth regulated? How do different species regulate and integrate environmental growth responses? How do these responses compare in R-selected species (such as Arabidopsis), which are adapted for rapid invasive growth in favorable conditions, and K-selected species (such as poplar), which are adapted to highly efficient growth in stable conditions? Can we find clues by comparing the characteristic responses of K- and R-selected species to abiotic stresses on cellular scales? To what extent do the responses of either group reflect a general response to stress? Or common responses to linked conditions or highly specialized responses to specific signals?

The goal of this research topic is to gather studies focusing on molecular and cellular processes that enable plants to sense and integrate biotic and abiotic environmental signals. This includes processes modulating root growth and root branching in response to water and cold stress, nutrient scarcity and interaction with beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. We particularly welcome articles on the importance of auxin and its interplay with other hormones such as abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, ethylene, etc. to control cell proliferation and organization in a growing root.

This research topic aims to summarize the progress in the field, focusing on the sensing and integration of soil stimuli by plant roots. Furthermore, soil feedback regulations within the ability of plants to communicate with their environment are also welcome.

Keywords: Plasticity, Plant nutrition, Plant hormones, Signal Regulation, Growth and Development

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