Plant-Based Solutions for Ecosystem Quality Assessment and Remediation Strategies

Anthropocene, a new geological epoch caused by the intensification of human activities, poses imminent threats to the ecosystem’s dynamics and services, including plant productivity, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental regulation - dramatically altering terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In this context, plants play a pivotal role in environmental quality monitoring and pollution mitigation. At an individual level, selected plants can respond to abiotic and biotic stresses, modifying their biochemistry and physiology. At a community level, variations in plant biodiversity may occur in relation to environmental stresses, allowing, in any case, to detect the quality of their environment. Additionally, plants contribute to the protection and/or restoration of a wide range of natural and constructed ecosystems, such as urban environments. Thus, they can be considered solutions for delivering cost-effective ecological services and ensuring human well-being in different ecosystems.

This Research Topic aims to create a discussion forum for plant scientists, policymakers (regulatory bodies, governmental agencies), and city managers regarding biological solutions provided by plants in environmental quality assessment and ecosystem restoration. It provides the opportunity to discuss advancements in the application and implementation of solutions to challenges that involve working with plants, in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, natural or constructed ones. Relevant articles examining the role of plants in air, soil, and water quality monitoring, as well as in the remediation of degraded ecosystems are welcome. Moreover, submissions on various approaches and models to use plants to detect spatial and temporal trends of pollution signals and reduce pollution impacts are invited.