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Biology
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Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes
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Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 6591

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefano Loppi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: biological response of plants to environmental change; plant-soil relationships; use of bio-based products of plant origin
Dr. Luca Paoli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Pisa, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: lichens; air pollution; biomonitoring; bioindicators; heavy metals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Global drivers of environmental change such as climate and pollution may have a remarkable effect on the biological response of plants. Plants (including lichens and bryophytes) show an integrated response to environmental factors and have been used for many years to evaluate the uptake and enrichment of air pollutants in biota, as well as injury, damage, and yield loss in crop plants. The biological monitoring of plants is of practical value in assessing exposure and risk caused by various pollutants, both outdoors and indoors. The use of sensitive indicator plants can lead to detailed statements on the overall biological effect of pollutants. The knowledge of pollutant uptake in plants relevant to human nutrition can give a hint to the potential exposure risk for humans.

Dr. Stefano Loppi
Dr. Luca Paoli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • biological effects
  • biomonitoring
  • climate change
  • global change
  • plants

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3329 KiB  
Article
Environmental Effects during Early Life-History Stages and Seed Development on Seed Functional Traits of an Australian Native Legume Species
by Fernanda C. Beveridge, Alwyn Williams, Robyn Cave, Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian, Mirza M. Haque and Steve W. Adkins
Biology 2024, 13(3), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13030148 - 27 Feb 2024
Viewed by 949
Abstract
Understanding how seed functional traits interact with environmental factors to determine seedling recruitment is critical to assess the impact of climate change on ecosystem restoration. This study focused on the effects of environmental factors on the mother plant during early plant life history [...] Read more.
Understanding how seed functional traits interact with environmental factors to determine seedling recruitment is critical to assess the impact of climate change on ecosystem restoration. This study focused on the effects of environmental factors on the mother plant during early plant life history stages and during seed development. Desmodium brachypodum A. Gray (large tick trefoil, Fabaceae) was used as a model species. Firstly, this study analyzed seed germination traits in response to temperature and moisture stress. Secondly, it investigated how seed burial depth interacts with temperature and soil moisture to influence seedling emergence traits. Finally, it determined if contrasting levels of post-anthesis soil moisture could result in changes in D. brachypodum reproductive biology and seed and seedling functional traits. The results showed that elevated temperature and moisture stress interacted to significantly reduce the seed germination and seedling emergence (each by >50%), while the seed burial improved the seedling emergence. Post-anthesis soil moisture stress negatively impacted the plant traits, reducing the duration of the reproductive phenology stage (by 9 days) and seed production (by almost 50%). Unexpectedly, soil moisture stress did not affect most seed or seedling traits. In conclusion, elevated temperatures combined with low soil moisture caused significant declines in seed germination and seedling emergence. On the other hand, the reproductive output of D. brachypodum had low seed variability under soil moisture stress, which might be useful when sourcing seeds from climates with high variability. Even so, a reduction in seed quantity under maternal moisture stress can impact the long-term survival of restored plant populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes)
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14 pages, 2065 KiB  
Article
Endogenic Phenolic Compounds of Barley as Potential Biomarkers Related to Grain Mycotoxin Production and Cultivar Selection
by Ana Badea, James R. Tucker, Ali Sabra, Thomas Netticadan, Barbara Blackwell, Liping Yu, Chamali Kodikara and Champa Wijekoon
Biology 2023, 12(10), 1306; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12101306 - 03 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1189
Abstract
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the fourth largest cereal crop in the world. One of the most devastating diseases in barley worldwide is Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe. Several mycotoxins are produced by FHB infection, and deoxynivalenol (DON) [...] Read more.
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the fourth largest cereal crop in the world. One of the most devastating diseases in barley worldwide is Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe. Several mycotoxins are produced by FHB infection, and deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of them responsible for the deterioration of grain quality. The current limited number of reliable molecular markers makes the development of FHB-resistant cultivars rather difficult and laborious. Moreover, there is a limited number of designed specific biomarkers that could distinguish the FHB resistance and mycotoxin accumulation in barley cultivars. This study investigated the phenolic compounds of ten different Canadian barley cultivars, grown in artificially FHB-infected and non-infected field trials. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the presence of DON in the harvested infected grains of each tested variety. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was performed using both infected and non-infected samples. We identified differences among cultivars tested in non-infected samples through quantitative analysis of free and bound phenolic compounds. The resistant cultivars showed higher amounts of major bound phenolic compounds compared to the susceptible check CDC Bold. Additionally, the FHB-infected cultivars produced significantly higher amounts of sinapic acid (SIN) () and catechin (CAT) in the soluble free form of phenolics in barley compared to the non-infected subjects. This study suggests that phenolic compounds in barley could allow barley breeders to precisely identify and develop FHB-resistant barley germplasm and cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes)
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12 pages, 2419 KiB  
Article
Tree Physiological Variables as a Proxy of Heavy Metal and Platinum Group Elements Pollution in Urban Areas
by Zulema Varela, Javier Martínez-Abaigar, Rafael Tomás-Las-Heras, José Ángel Fernández, María-Ángeles Del-Castillo-Alonso and Encarnación Núñez-Olivera
Biology 2023, 12(9), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12091180 - 29 Aug 2023
Viewed by 873
Abstract
Physiological variables (the content of chlorophyll, flavonoids and nitrogen, together with Fv/Fm) and the content of ten heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn) and two platinum group elements (PGEs: Pd and Rh) [...] Read more.
Physiological variables (the content of chlorophyll, flavonoids and nitrogen, together with Fv/Fm) and the content of ten heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn) and two platinum group elements (PGEs: Pd and Rh) were measured in the leaves of 50 individuals of Ligustrum lucidum trees regularly distributed in the city of Logroño (Northern Spain). Three of these variables increased with increasing physiological vitality (chlorophyll, nitrogen and Fv/Fm), whereas flavonoids increased in response to different abiotic stresses, including pollution. Our aim was to test their adequacy as proxies for the pollution due to heavy metals and PGEs. The three vitality indicators generally showed high values typical of healthy plants, and they did not seem to be consistently affected by the different pollutants. In fact, the three vitality variables were positively correlated with the first factor of a PCA that was dominated by heavy metals (mainly Pb, but also Sb, V and Ni). In addition, Fv/Fm was negatively correlated with the second factor of the PCA, which was dominated by PGEs, but the trees showing Fv/Fm values below the damage threshold did not coincide with those showing high PGE content. Regarding flavonoid content, it was negatively correlated with PCA factors dominated by heavy metals, which did not confirm its role as a protectant against metal stress. The relatively low levels of pollution usually found in the city of Logroño, together with the influence of other environmental factors and the relative tolerance of Ligustrum lucidum to modest atmospheric pollution, probably determined the only slight response of the physiological variables to heavy metals and PGEs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes)
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10 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Essential Mineral Elements and Potentially Toxic Elements in Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Cultivated in Northern Ethiopia
by Gloria Peace Lamaro, Yemane Tsehaye, Atkilt Girma, Andrea Vannini, Riccardo Fedeli and Stefano Loppi
Biology 2023, 12(2), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020266 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1625
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of the agro-climatic environment of Northern Ethiopia on the content of essential mineral elements of selected orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, the potential contribution of each genotype’s essential mineral elements to the recommended dietary allowance, and the potential risk to [...] Read more.
This study investigated the influence of the agro-climatic environment of Northern Ethiopia on the content of essential mineral elements of selected orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, the potential contribution of each genotype’s essential mineral elements to the recommended dietary allowance, and the potential risk to human health from the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in the tuberous roots of the studied genotypes. The results showed consistent interspecific variations in the content of essential mineral elements among the studied orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, as well as important intraspecific differences, which could depend on the variations in soil mineral and organic matter content, rainfall, temperature, as well as interactions between genotype and environment. The investigated genotypes, especially Kulfo, Ininda, Gloria, and Amelia, can provide an amount of several essential mineral elements high enough to meet 100% of the recommended dietary allowance for all age groups ≤8 years. The mean content of potentially toxic elements in tuberous roots and their daily intake values were within the recommended permissible levels; likewise, no health risk was associated with the consumption of these genotypes for Cr, As, and Pb. However, Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni is > 1, consumption imposes health risks based on daily accumulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes)

Review

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20 pages, 382 KiB  
Review
Lichens and Mosses as Biomonitors of Indoor Pollution
by Luca Paoli, Elena Bandoni and Luigi Sanità di Toppi
Biology 2023, 12(9), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12091248 - 18 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1170
Abstract
Biomonitoring in indoor environments is a recent application, and so far, indoor air quality (IAQ) has been investigated only in a few cases using photosynthesising biomonitors. On the whole, 22 studies have been selected and reviewed, being specifically focused on the assessment of [...] Read more.
Biomonitoring in indoor environments is a recent application, and so far, indoor air quality (IAQ) has been investigated only in a few cases using photosynthesising biomonitors. On the whole, 22 studies have been selected and reviewed, being specifically focused on the assessment of IAQ using biomonitors, such as lichens (9 papers), mosses (10), or their combination (3). In general, indoor samples face an altered light regime, ventilation, and a reduced hydration, which should be taken into consideration during the design and implementation of indoor monitoring. This review highlights critical issues (and some solutions) related to sample devitalisation (moss), hydration during exposure, preparation of the exposure device (mostly lichen and moss bags), duration of the exposure, post-exposure treatments, assessment of the vitality of the samples, as well as data elaboration and interpretation. This review evidences the feasibility and usefulness of lichen/moss monitoring in indoor environments and the need to develop standardised protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Response of Plants to Environmental Changes)
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