AUTHOR=Liu Simu , Chen Hui TITLE=Ethylene Signaling Facilitates Plant Adaption to Physical Barriers JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.697988 DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.697988 ISSN=1664-462X ABSTRACT=Morphological changes are usually used by terrestrial plants to respond to physical barriers. The phytohormone ethylene plays an essential role in exogenous mechanical impedance-triggered plant morphological development, which enables plants to grow optimally in response to physical barriers. Ethylene is shown to regulate these developmental processes directly or in concert with other phytohormones, especially auxin. Here, the involvement of ethylene action in seedling emergence from the soil, root movement within the soil, and parasitic plant invasion of host plant are described.