Plant Ecology And Evolution In Harsh Environments

Harsh environments found around the world harbour unique organisms adapted to extreme ranges in climatic, edaphic, and other environmental variables. Whether they occur in extreme climates such as alpine summits or inland deserts, in habitats frequently disturbed by fire or floods, or on edaphic islands created by unique geologies or anthropogenic contamination, the adaptations demonstrated by organisms found in such environments shed light on basic and applied aspects of ecology and evolution. This volume brings together current research on plants, fungi and microbes from harsh environments to reveal underlying patterns and common themes of these especially challenging habitats. Topics include the role of bedrock geochemistry and soil evolutionary processes in generating extreme habitats; the biology, ecology, and evolution of non-vascular and vascular plants, lichens, herbivores and pathogens, mycorrhizal fungi, and other beneficial microbes found in extreme environments. Habitats discussed in the book include alpine and arctic settings, fire-prone Mediterranean climates, serpentine outcrops, gypsum soils, metal-rich mine tailings, and saline soils. In addition to summarizing current research, we highlight new tools and emerging techniques in high-throughput phenotyping, genomics, and phylogenetics that are being used to develop our understanding of evolution in harsh environments. We also emphasise results gained from classical ecological approaches which have allowed us to examine adaptation to and evolution in harsh environments. In addition to discussing basic research, we cover applied work focusing on the threats posed by climate change and other anthropogenic impacts as well as efforts to restore and protect extreme habitats and the unique organisms they harbour. Finally, we discuss the uses of plant species found in extreme environments for agriculture and biotechnology, including the relatively new fields of phytoremediation and phytomining. The work highlighted in this volume demonstrates what these species and their environments have taught us about ecological and evolutionary theory, conservation, and restoration: knowledge that can be applied well beyond the habitats and species described in this book.

Harsh environments found around the world harbor unique organisms adapted to extreme ranges in climatic, edaphic, and other environmental variables. Whether they occur in extreme climates such as alpine summits or inland deserts, in habitats frequently di

In the recent past, threats from climate change and unforeseeable environmental extremes to plant growth and productivity have consistently increased. The climate change-driven effects, especially from unpredictable environmental fluctuations, can result in an increased prevalence of abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. These stresses have slowed down the global yields of crop plants. On the other hand, food security for the rapidly growing human population in a sustainable ecosystem is a major concern of the present-day world. Thus, understanding the core developmental, physiological and molecular aspects that regulate plant growth and productivity in a challenging environment is a pivotal issue to be tackled by the scientific community dealing with sustainable agricultural and horticultural practices. Plants are influenced by the adverse environmental conditions at various levels, their different and diverse responses play a significant role in determining their growth, production and the overall geographical distribution. The chapters in this book focus on the biological mechanisms and fundamental principles that determine how different plant species grow, perform and interact with a challenging environment. This book covers a broad range of topics in plant science, including gene function, molecules, physiology, cell biology and plant ecology, to understand the functioning of plants under harsh environmental conditions. The book elucidates the physiological and molecular mechanisms in different plant species, ecophysiological interactions of plants, interplay between plant roots, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, biosensors for monitoring stress, production of secondary metabolites, stress alleviation processes, and more.

Model Ecosystems in Extreme Environments, Second Edition examines ecosystems at the most extreme habitats and their interaction with the environment, providing a key element in our understanding of the role and function of microorganisms in nature. The book highlights current topics in the field, such as biodiversity and the structure of microbial communities in extreme environments, the effects of extreme environmental conditions on microbial ecosystems, and ecological and evolutionary interactions in extreme environments, among other topics. It will be a valuable text for faculty and students working with extremophiles and/or microbial ecology and researchers, including astrobiologists, biologists, evolutionary scientists, astronomers, geochemists and oceanographers. Explores, in detail, how microbial ecosystems thrive in extreme environments Highlights the relevance of extremophiles as model ecosystems to the study of microbial ecology Examines how extreme ecosystems can help our search for life on other planets

The Neotropical area is a main setting of the earliest experiences of domestication ofplants, and evolutionary processes guided by humans, which continue being active inthe area. Studies comprised in this Research Topic show a general panorama aboutsimilarities and particularities of processes of domestication for different plant groupsand regions, some of them illustrate how the domestication processes originated anddiffused, how landscape domestication has operated and continues being practicedand others discuss some of the main challenges for designing policies for biosafetyand conservation of plant genetic resources. It is an attempt to identify main topicsfor research on evolution under domestication, and opportunities that researcherscan find in the Neotropics to understand how and why these processes occurredin the past and present.

Serpentine soils have long fascinated biologists for the specialized floras they support and the challenges they pose to plant survival and growth. This volume focuses on what scientists have learned about major questions in earth history, evolution, ecology, conservation, and restoration from the study of serpentine areas, especially in California. Results from molecular studies offer insight into evolutionary patterns, while new ecological research examines both species and communities. Serpentine highlights research whose breadth provides context and fresh insights into the evolution and ecology of stressful environments.

Part 1. Analysis and Inheritance of Resistance VariationChapters by George G. Kennedy and James D. Barbour; John A. Barrett; Ellen L. Simms and Mark A. Rausher; and Mary R. Berenbaum and Arthur R. ZangerlPart 2. Evolutionary Responses to Plant Resistance by Herbivores and PathogensChapters by Lawrence Wilhoit; Diana Pilson; Arthur E. Weis; and James Groth and Barbara ChristPart 3. Population and Community Responses to Plant Resistance VariationChapters by Richard Karban; A. Joseph Pollard; Robert S. Fritz; and J. Daniel HarePart 4. Evolution of Plant ResistanceRobert J. Marquis; Helen M. Alexander; Matthew A. Parker; Arthur R. Zangeri and Fahkri A. Bazzaz; Ellen L. Simms; and Janis AntonovicsReferences Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Plant-herbivore interactions are a central topic in evolutionary ecology. Historically, their study has been a cornerstone for coevolutionary theory. Starting from classic ecological studies at the phenotypic level, it has since expanded to molecular and genomic approaches. After a historical perspective, the book’s subsequent chapters cover a wide range of topics: from populations to ecosystems; plant- and herbivore-focused studies; in natural and in man-modified ecosystems; and both micro- and macro-evolutionary levels. All chapters include valuable background information and empirical evidence. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to both students and researchers, and will hopefully stimulate further research in this exciting field of evolutionary biology.

The evolution of species abundance and diversity; Competitive strategies of resource allocation; Community structure; Outlook.