About this Research Topic
During evolution, plants, due to their sessile lifestyle, have developed abilities that allow them to adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions. Among these features is developmental plasticity, which results in the plant's ability to respond to various stimuli with changes in cell division, growth, differentiation, and metabolic activity. Developmental plasticity, in particular, refers to the capacity of a single genotype to modify its developmental processes and phenotype in response to varying environmental conditions. This process is vital for enabling plants to respond to adverse environmental situations such as drought, high temperatures, light stress, or flooding. Additionally, developmental plasticity plays a crucial role in helping plants adapt to post-infectious conditions, such as those caused by pathogen or pest invasions. Responses such as decreasing the growth of individual organs, delaying disease progression, or limiting nutrient availability for the invader are of utmost importance.
Unfortunately, these evolutionarily acquired abilities for plastic adaptation can also be exploited by pathogens, which can hijack endogenous host mechanisms to create physiological niches. Considering that abiotic and biotic stresses are becoming more frequent worldwide due to climate change—leading to significant yield losses, financial setbacks in crop production, and biodiversity decline—understanding plant developmental plasticity is imperative. Such knowledge will offer new opportunities to develop strategies for cultivating and conserving plant species in today's changing environment.
This Research Topic seeks to consolidate current research on plant developmental plasticity, with the aim of elucidating the aforementioned mechanisms. We are particularly interested in experimental models and reviews that illustrate the complexity of this phenomenon, while also providing new perspectives and original insights.
We welcome submissions that explore various dimensions of this intricate developmental network, including but not limited to:
- Regulatory mechanisms of plant development under optimal and stressful conditions;
- Genetic control mechanisms underlying plasticity and their implications for plant evolution;
- The role of phenotypic and metabolic plasticity in plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses;
- Epigenetic modifications and their influence on plant adjustments under diverse environmental stresses;
- Plant signaling pathways involved in developmental plasticity;
- The role of plant hormones in directing developmental responses to environmental signals;
- Molecular and biochemical mechanisms associated with environment-induced plastic responses.
This Research Topic aims to provide a platform for researchers to share novel insights into plant developmental plasticity and stress-response adaptation, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of how plants cope with unfavorable environmental conditions.
Unfortunately, these evolutionarily acquired abilities for plastic adaptation can also be exploited by pathogens, which can hijack endogenous host mechanisms to create physiological niches. Considering that abiotic and biotic stresses are becoming more frequent worldwide due to climate change—leading to significant yield losses, financial setbacks in crop production, and biodiversity decline—understanding plant developmental plasticity is imperative. Such knowledge will offer new opportunities to develop strategies for cultivating and conserving plant species in today's changing environment.
This Research Topic seeks to consolidate current research on plant developmental plasticity, with the aim of elucidating the aforementioned mechanisms. We are particularly interested in experimental models and reviews that illustrate the complexity of this phenomenon, while also providing new perspectives and original insights.
We welcome submissions that explore various dimensions of this intricate developmental network, including but not limited to:
- Regulatory mechanisms of plant development under optimal and stressful conditions;
- Genetic control mechanisms underlying plasticity and their implications for plant evolution;
- The role of phenotypic and metabolic plasticity in plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses;
- Epigenetic modifications and their influence on plant adjustments under diverse environmental stresses;
- Plant signaling pathways involved in developmental plasticity;
- The role of plant hormones in directing developmental responses to environmental signals;
- Molecular and biochemical mechanisms associated with environment-induced plastic responses.
This Research Topic aims to provide a platform for researchers to share novel insights into plant developmental plasticity and stress-response adaptation, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of how plants cope with unfavorable environmental conditions.
Keywords: plant developmental plasticity, crop resilience, hormonal regulation, abiotic and biotic stress
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
