Aims & Scope

Aims: 

Plant Ecophysiology (PlantEcophys) aims to be a premier journal for disseminating research in the field of plant ecophysiology (considered synonymous with physiological plant ecology, plant physiological ecology and plant autecology, and including crop physiology, among other related terms with similar meanings), welcoming diverse types of contributions, as long as they are conducted with rigor and offer a significant advancement in knowledge. Contributions may include, but are not limited to: 

• Cutting-edge research and innovative findings.
• Experimental, theoretical, and confirmatory studies, including negative results. Descriptive works are also welcome, provided they have a sound hypothesis and well-explained implications. Merely descriptive studies are excluded.
• Studies encompassing fundamental or applied research.
• Studies performed in either natural or managed systems, including crops.
• Non-traditional outputs such as new methodologies, datasets, models, tools, etc.

With these objectives, PlantEcophys connects useful tools, theoretical research, and practical applications, fostering a multidisciplinary dialogue among plant ecophysiologists and researchers from related disciplines. It is published quarterly online by Scilight Press.

Scope:

The scope of the journal encompasses the broad and intricate relationship between plant physiology and environmental factors across all levels of organization. This includes a diverse range of study subjects, spanning from molecules to ecosystems, and encompassing various temporal scales. The journal welcomes any methodologies employed to explore plant responses and their mechanisms in the face of environmental challenges. It invites also contributions from all ‘omics’ fields (e.g., genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics, ionomics, metabolomics, and phenomics) and traditional ecophysiological methods (e.g., ‘classic’ traits - LMA, dry matter content and tissue density, leaf area and shape, venation… stem & root traits, etc. - , microscopy, water relations, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and isotopic analysis). Additionally, the journal is open to larger-scale investigations of functional traits, biomass, yield and its components, eddy covariance fluxes, and more, as well as studies that integrate multiple techniques. 

PlantEcophys welcomes a wide array of topics within the field of plant ecophysiology, including but not limited to:

Paleo- and Evolutionary Ecophysiology: Exploration of past ecophysiology and its evolution, including studies involving fossil samples and extant plants of different phylogenetic groups.

Physiology of Functional Traits and Types: Studies on the underlying basis (e.g., physiological, anatomical, biochemical) of constitutive and responses to the environment of the traits at different levels (tissue, organ, whole-organism) that define the relationship between plant and environment.

Abiotic Stress Responses: Contributions to the response of any aspect of plant physiology to any abiotic stress or a combination of them.

Biotic Stress Responses: Studies on how plant physiology reacts to the presence of any biotic factor impacting the plant, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and invertebrate larvae hosts and herbivores, as well as vertebrate herbivores.

Ecophysiology of Plant-Microbe Interactions: Investigation of positive effects of microbes on plant physiology, including mycorrhiza, Rhizobium and other symbioses, as well as the effects of soil and/or rhizosphere microbiota on plant physiology.

Global Change: Research on the effect of climate and/or global change on plant physiology (excluding impacts on distribution and/or extinction not directly related to physiological traits).

Whole Plant Ecophysiology: Studies on the integration of environmental effects on whole plant aspects, as well as the effects of the whole plant structure on the environment. For instance, this may include examining light distribution across the canopy, plant’s influences on soil dynamics or climate, etc.

Population, Community and Ecosystem Ecophysiology: Ecophysiology-based research on multiple species in wild populations, communities, and ecosystems, aiming to either discern ecophysiological differences among plant species in a common habitat or the effects of plant ecophysiology on secondary producers. This research may be aided or not by larger scale measurements, such as local biodiversity and/or coverage assessment, community scale eddy fluxes, etc. 

Crop Ecophysiology: Studies on the ecophysiology of crops, especially those with a clear focus on crop improvement - in terms of yield, efficiency or tolerance - , and those focused on the underlying ecophysiological mechanisms of crop yield and quality.