Genetic Resources and Conservation Strategies for Neotropical Plant Biodiversity

The Neotropics harbor one of the most biodiverse environments on the planet, with several plant species distributed from Central to South America. However, habitat fragmentation has compromised the survival of numerous species, even those of economic significance. Moreover, numerous plant species that have made the official lists of those threatened with extinction have insufficient knowledge regarding their potential applications for food security, pharmaceutical treatments, biodiesel, carbon stocks, among others. In comparison to other regions, neotropical plant genetic resources are still scarcely described, which demands further commitment from the scientific community to promote their conservation and breeding in times when climatic resilience is much needed. Recent studies have begun to explore the genetic diversity and structure of these plants using advanced molecular markers and sequencing technologies, but significant gaps remain in our understanding of their full potential and the best strategies for their conservation and utilization.

This research topic aims to acknowledge novel publications devoted to unraveling the genetic resources, conservation, and breeding initiatives of researchers working with plant species belonging to the neotropical dominion, including trees, shrubs, herbs, and aquatic plants, both endemic and widespread. We hope to contribute to strengthening the information on wild and domesticated relatives of plants of ecological and economic significance across the broad range of ecosystems encompassed within the Neotropics. Moreover, the investigation of past and present human interactions with plants and their influence on genetic resources is also desired.

To gather further insights into the genetic resources, conservation, and breeding of neotropical plants, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Genetic diversity and structure of neotropical plants using molecular markers
- Epigenetic diversity and expression diversity (transcriptomes)
- Conservation genetics, including landscape genomics and demographic processes
- Minimum viable populations and other conservation approaches
- Genetic resources of core collections and the genetic effects of domestication
- Association and QTL mapping for breeding programs
- Past and present interactions of traditional communities with plant genetic resources
- Climatic resilience, carbon stocks, and food security applications from genetic resources of neotropical plants

Keywords: conservation, QTL mapping, plant breeding, neotropical-plants

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.