Ecology, Biodiversity and Evolution of Desert Ecosystems

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2022) | Viewed by 4922

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Interests: desert ecology; adaptation to arid environments; desertification; climate change; remote sensing; speciation; community ecology; biogeography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Deserts represent nearly a third of the Earth’s surface and are defined by a moisture deficit, regardless of temperature. Despite the name, deserts are extremely biodiverse, harboring countless life forms with adaptations to aridity, and harsh and unpredictable environments. However, deserts are relatively new in the Earth’s history and their extreme biodiversity is even more recent, highlighting the need of understanding the evolution of such fragile ecosystems.

This Special Issue aims at improving our understanding of how deserts work, how their biotas evolve, and the challenges they face in the context of climate change and increased human impact.

Dr. Alejandra Moreno-Letelier
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Diversity 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 2600 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

  • paleoecology
  • ecology
  • demography
  • evolutionary ecology
  • conservation genetics
  • phylogeography
  • ecophysiology
  • ecological niche modelling
  • climate change
  • landscape genetics
  • biogeography

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 1114 KiB  
Review
The Function of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with Drought Stress Resistance in Native Plants of Arid Desert Ecosystems: A Review
by Tareq A. Madouh and Ali M. Quoreshi
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030391 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4083
Abstract
Drought stress profoundly affects native desert plants’ survival and performance. Among all the abiotic stresses, drought is considered a major constraint that influences the structure and functions of desert ecosystems. Arid desert ecosystems are characterized by prolonged drought, extreme temperatures, high solar radiation, [...] Read more.
Drought stress profoundly affects native desert plants’ survival and performance. Among all the abiotic stresses, drought is considered a major constraint that influences the structure and functions of desert ecosystems. Arid desert ecosystems are characterized by prolonged drought, extreme temperatures, high solar radiation, water scarcity, high salinity, scarcity of soil nutrients, and poor soil structure. Such extreme desert environments are the toughest regions on earth, which present enormous challenges in conserving plant survival, growth and reproduction. Despite the predominance of these environmental conditions, native desert plant species that grow in desert environments develop complex adaptation strategies and resistance mechanisms to ameliorate the abiotic and biotic stresses in the extreme environments including changes in biochemical, physiological, and morphological levels. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form positive symbiotic associations with a considerable percentage of terrestrial plants as their host, induce distinct impacts on plant growth and protect plants from abiotic stresses. However, it is necessary to advance our understanding of the complex mechanisms associated with AMF-mediated and other dark septate endophytes (DSE)-mediated amelioration of native desert plants’ drought stress resistance and associated biological adjustments such as changes in hormone balance, water and nutrient status, stomatal conductance and osmotic adjustment, antioxidant activity, and photosynthetic activity. This review provides an overview of the relationships of mycorrhiza and fungal endophytes involved in drought stress tolerance, summarizing the current knowledge and presenting possible mechanisms mediated by AMF to stimulate drought tolerance associated with native desert plants. We discuss the research required to fill the gaps and provide suggestions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Biodiversity and Evolution of Desert Ecosystems)
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