It is well-known that mountainous regions harbor about one-third of global territorial biodiversity, including plants. Significant altitudinal difference allows the formation of distinct climate zones within a narrow range and the geographic barrier role of mountains, which build heterogeneous environments for diverse plants. Plant is a sessile lifeform which can achieve migration by seed and survive in suitable environments. Environmental changes or heterogenization would easily promote adaptive evolution in plants. The formation and maintenance of hyperdiversity in a mountainous region has been attracting different generations of researchers. However, the adaptive evolution of plants in mountainous regions is understudied and remains poorly known.
As genetic diversity is the sum of an organism's response to its environment, exploring this from an evolutionary perspective is a way to dissect the formation and maintenance of plant biodiversity in mountainous regions in light of adaptive evolution. The advances in next generation sequencing technology and the availability of diverse data from omics (genome, transcriptome, methylome, metabolome, etc.) are powerful tools that can be used to explore the adaptive background of plants to mountainous environments. The goal of this Research Topic is to potentiate the use of the available high-throughput technology towards the understanding of the evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms of plants to cope in different mountainous environments. These mountainous environments range from glacial to tropical regions along a gradient of altitude, climate, soil, and vegetation types.
Submissions on the following sub-themes are welcome but not limited to:
1) Impact of the genetic background on the divergence of related species in contrasting habitats.
2) Genetic basis of adaptive diversification of intraspecific lineages in heterogeneous environments.
3) Adaptive mechanisms of cultivated plants (e.g. crops) to mountainous environments.
4) Genetic basis of key innovations related to adaptation.
Research articles and reviews are welcome, and may include studies at the species, population, or community level as well as wild, neglected, or cultivated plants. The integration of climate change-driven processes and related issues is particularly welcome.
It is well-known that mountainous regions harbor about one-third of global territorial biodiversity, including plants. Significant altitudinal difference allows the formation of distinct climate zones within a narrow range and the geographic barrier role of mountains, which build heterogeneous environments for diverse plants. Plant is a sessile lifeform which can achieve migration by seed and survive in suitable environments. Environmental changes or heterogenization would easily promote adaptive evolution in plants. The formation and maintenance of hyperdiversity in a mountainous region has been attracting different generations of researchers. However, the adaptive evolution of plants in mountainous regions is understudied and remains poorly known.
As genetic diversity is the sum of an organism's response to its environment, exploring this from an evolutionary perspective is a way to dissect the formation and maintenance of plant biodiversity in mountainous regions in light of adaptive evolution. The advances in next generation sequencing technology and the availability of diverse data from omics (genome, transcriptome, methylome, metabolome, etc.) are powerful tools that can be used to explore the adaptive background of plants to mountainous environments. The goal of this Research Topic is to potentiate the use of the available high-throughput technology towards the understanding of the evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms of plants to cope in different mountainous environments. These mountainous environments range from glacial to tropical regions along a gradient of altitude, climate, soil, and vegetation types.
Submissions on the following sub-themes are welcome but not limited to:
1) Impact of the genetic background on the divergence of related species in contrasting habitats.
2) Genetic basis of adaptive diversification of intraspecific lineages in heterogeneous environments.
3) Adaptive mechanisms of cultivated plants (e.g. crops) to mountainous environments.
4) Genetic basis of key innovations related to adaptation.
Research articles and reviews are welcome, and may include studies at the species, population, or community level as well as wild, neglected, or cultivated plants. The integration of climate change-driven processes and related issues is particularly welcome.
