Unveiling adaptive strategies of desert plants: From seeds to ecosystems

The study of desert plant life is intensifying due to their extraordinary adaptation strategies and ecological importance, as well as their potential to mitigate global environmental challenges. Xerophytes, or desert-dwelling plant species, showcase a variety of mechanisms to withstand extreme conditions such as high temperatures, prolonged droughts, and poor soils. These adaptations are vital across their lifecycle stages, encompassing seed dispersal, germination, physiological traits, and symbiotic relationships. As climate change expands arid regions, understanding desert flora adaptations could prove invaluable for developing drought-resistant crops, sustaining ecosystem services, and establishing effective restoration practices that ensure the vitality and diversity of desert ecosystems.
While our knowledge of desert plant dynamics is increasing, there remain notable gaps in applying this knowledge to promote sustainable agriculture in arid environments and uphold ecosystem resilience. The urgency to conserve these habitats has intensified interest in exploring plant-associated microbiomes, functional resilience in arid ecosystems, and innovative restoration methods. The interaction between native plants significantly enhances ecological services, underpinning biodiversity, soil stability, and nutrient cycling, all of which are essential for both ecosystem sustainability and agricultural innovations.

This Research Topic aims to uncover the latest progress in the physiological ecology of plants in desert and low-water ecosystems. The primary objectives include exploring adaptations from seeds to ecosystems at multiple scales, uncovering plant-associated microbiomes, evaluating the resilience and roles of arid landscapes, and investigating ecosystem services and restoration approaches that support sustainable agriculture.

To gather further insights into adaptations from desert seeds to flourishing ecosystems within an evolving global climate, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Seed dispersal, germination strategies, and seed bank dynamics in deserts
o Plant community structure, including the role of nurse plants and soil diversity
o Physiological, biochemical, and genomic plant traits required for survival in arid conditions
o Role of extremophiles plants, including halophytes in saline desert environments
o Biocrusts and vegetation–soil–microbe feedbacks in maintaining desert ecosystem stability
o Ecosystem services, restoration approaches, and sustainable agricultural practices
o Remote sensing and modeling approaches for monitoring vegetation dynamics in arid lands

We invite original research, comprehensive reviews, and perspective pieces with an interdisciplinary approach, bridging physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms with ecosystem management applications. This collection seeks to advance knowledge of desert plant adaptations, from seed strategies to ecosystem interactions, crucial for the conservation, ecosystem restoration, and creation of resilient agricultural systems in arid regions.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Ecosystem restoration, Desert plants, Xerophytes, Plant adaptations, Arid ecosystems, Seed ecology, Drought tolerance, Halophytes, Ecophysiology, Molecular ecology, Vegetation–soil–microbe feedback, Biocrusts, Ecosystem services, Biodiversity conservation, Remote sensing, Ecological modeling, Climate-resilient agriculture

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.