Interplay of Stomatal Regulation in Plants Under Combined Stress Conditions: An Integrative Perspective

In the field of plant sciences, stomatal regulation is a critical area of research due to its central role in managing transpirational water loss and gas exchange. This mechanism enables plants to maintain balance and adapt to environmental changes. When faced with water scarcity, plants tend to close their stomata to preserve water. However, this physiological response is complicated by concurrent heat stress, which impairs transpiration's cooling effect and destabilizes leaf temperature equilibrium. This triggers threats to cellular membrane integrity, impairs photosynthesis, and ultimately affects plant productivity. Although research has primarily focused on stress responses in isolated conditions, plants in natural habitats frequently confront overlapping abiotic and biotic stressors, adding layers of complexity to their adaptive responses. A deeper investigation is imperative for understanding the interplay of these factors across diverse plant species, including crops and forest trees.

This Research Topic aims to broaden our comprehension of the mechanisms by which plants manage, signal, and communicate across molecular, biochemical, and ecophysiological scales while exposed to a multitude of abiotic and biotic stresses. By uncovering sophisticated signaling networks and adaptive strategies in multi-stress contexts, the objective is to introduce and highlight innovative methodologies and extensive studies. Consequently, the research seeks to cultivate techniques for enhancing plant resilience, stabilizing yields, and improving adaptation amidst the prevalent environmental fluctuation.

To gather further insights into how stomatal regulation integrates with multi-stress responses across the plant kingdom, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Signaling cascades and pathway crosstalk governing stomatal dynamics under simultaneous stresses (e.g., ABA–ROS–Ca2+ integration, hormonal antagonism/synergy).
• Epigenetic modifications and stress memory shaping stomatal behavior under recurrent or combined stressors.
• Single-cell and multi-omics perspectives (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, post-translational modifications) on stomatal stress responses and guard-cell specificity.
• Crop simulation modeling and ecophysiological approaches to understanding and developing strategies for increased water use efficiency and environmental adaptability under challenging conditions.
• Bioinformatic models and computational tools for predicting multi-stress outcomes in stomatal regulation, including machine learning and digital twins.
• Systems biology approaches to uncover emergent stomatal responses, from genes to canopy.

We welcome submissions of original research, reviews, perspectives, and methods papers that probe into these critical areas.

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
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... 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
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Stomatal aperture, water use efficiency, climate changes, biotic stress, abiotic stress, crop 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.