Genetic Diversity and Evolutionary Ecology of Medicinal Plants: Global Perspectives on Conservation and Resilience

Medicinal plants across the world are exemplary models for studying the evolutionary and ecological processes that shape plant diversity, adaptation, and resilience. Regions of exceptional biodiversity—such as the Himalayas, the Andes, Southeast Asia, and tropical mountain systems—harbor a tremendous range of medicinally significant species. Many of these plants face mounting pressures from habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate change, threatening their persistence and the ecological functions they support.

This Research Topic seeks broad, integrative insights into the genetic diversity, evolutionary ecology, and resilience of medicinal plant species globally. We invite contributions that focus on fundamental natural history, including how patterns of genetic variation shape adaptation, population viability, and species distributions. Comparative and cross-regional studies are particularly encouraged to foster a deeper understanding of how evolutionary processes and environmental factors interact in shaping medicinal plant diversity in different ecosystems.

Key scientific themes for submission include (but are not limited to):

-Patterns and drivers of genetic diversity in wild and cultivated medicinal plants
-Evolutionary and ecological processes underlying plant adaptation and resilience
-Effects of selective harvesting, domestication, and cultivation on genetic structure
-Population genetics and gene flow across biogeographical regions (e.g., cross-border, inter-mountain, or transcontinental analyses)
-Responses of medicinal plants to environmental gradients or climate change
-The role of genetic diversity in ecosystem function and co-evolution with pollinators, dispersers, and pathogens
-Phylogeography, speciation, and historical biogeography of medicinally important plant lineages
-Integrating genomic tools and population modeling in conservation planning

While studies may include considerations of ethnobotanical use, sustainable management, or traditional --knowledge, the primary emphasis should remain on ecological, genetic, and evolutionary questions of broad scientific significance.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies that leverage genetics, ecology, natural history, and evolutionary biology to inform the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plant diversity worldwide.


For the Ethnopharmacology section:
The use of taxonomically fully valid bames (binomials) is mandatory.
Studies submitted to the section 'Ethnophpharmacology of Frontiers in Pharmacology need to comply with the best practice guidelines of the leading journals for pharmacological studies on plant extract / natural products including the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (http://www.frontiersin.org/files/pdf/4_pillars_FULL_TEXT.pdf) and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. A detailed description of the material studied, its extraction and processing is essential and manuscripts which lack such a description will be desk-rejected. You can freely download the full version here. Please self-assess your MS using the ConPhyMP tool: https://ga-online.org/best-practice/

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... 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
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Ethnobotany, Conservation genetics, Medicinal 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.