About this Research Topic

Background

Plants require a proper balance of matter and energy to maintain their survival and reproduction. Biotic and/or abiotic stresses in diverse environments could influence plant photosynthesis, water and nutrient acquisition and utilization. Through the lens of plant physiological and functional ecology, the study of responses of individual plant traits and/or integration of plant responses to environmental change has been well developed. The variation of plant physiological characteristics and functional traits has been recognized with hundreds of high-quality papers on topics of plant responses to environmental stresses. For now, despite the increasing number of studies trying to establish a linkage between plant physiological processes and functional traits, these covariations have received limited theoretical and experimental verification. This knowledge gap hampers our ability to understand and predict the comprehensive responses of plants to environmental stresses at different scales.

We welcome all studies using novel perspectives, theories, methods, tools, and modeling approaches to address these questions to achieve a comprehensive linkage of physiological and functional ecology from individual to ecosystem scales.

This research topic focuses on the responses of whole plants to environmental stress and addresses the key role of plant physiological processes and functional trait variation in reflecting plant productivity and resource use strategies. Comparisons between varieties of the same species, between different species, and between different communities are welcomed to evaluate the environmental stresses on species selection, species competition, and community succession.

Our scope is to that link physiological processes and functional traits together. We invite authors to create conceptual frameworks and models or use case studies to describe and document how environmental stresses affect plant physiological processes, functional traits and their linkages. Especially, how do plants change physiological processes (photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration) in a short duration, and how are these functional traits selected by natural selection:

• Conceptual framework and models linking physiological processes and functional traits together.
• Abiotic stresses include elevated temperature (both chronic temperature rise and extreme temperature event), drought (more frequent, severe and extended drought periods), nitrogen and acid deposition, soil salinification, heavy metal and microplastic Pollution.
• Biotic stresses include inter- and intra-specific competition, invasion of alien species, grazing and human disturbance.
• Plant nonlinear and comprehensive responses, especially cross adaptations, to multifactorial stresses.
• Case studies linking plant physiological processes and functional traits together, focusing on special nutrients (calcium, magnesium, silicon), components (root exudations, phenols, cellulose, lignin), and organs (leaf and root).
• Plant physiological process changes and functional traits variation in ecological restoration and succession.

Keywords: biotic stresses, abiotic stresses, plant physiological processes, plant functional traits, ecological responses, ecological restoration and succession

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