The adaptability of and the sensitivity of to semi-arid steppe is reflected in the stem and root vascular cambium and anatomical wood traits.

Afforestation success is measured by the tree establishment and growth capacity which contribute to a range of ecosystem services. In the Mongolian steppe, and have been tested as candidate species for large afforestation programs, by analyzing their response to a combination of irrigation and fertilization treatments. While in temperate and Mediterranean forest ecosystems, xylogenetic studies provide insight into the trees' plasticity and adaptability, this type of knowledge is non-existent in semi-arid regions, whose climatic features are expected to become a global issue.

The Course of Mechanical Stress: Types, Perception, and Plant Response.

Mechanical stimuli, together with the corresponding plant perception mechanisms and the finely tuned thigmomorphogenetic response, has been of scientific and practical interest since the mid-17th century. As an emerging field, there are many challenges in the research of mechanical stress. Indeed, studies on different plant species (annual/perennial) and plant organs (stem/root) using different approaches (field, wet lab, and in silico/computational) have delivered insufficient findings that frequently impede the practical application of the acquired knowledge.

Network-Based Analysis to Identify Hub Genes Involved in Spatial Root Response to Mechanical Constrains.

Previous studies report that the asymmetric response, observed along the main poplar woody bent root axis, was strongly related to both the type of mechanical forces (compression or tension) and the intensity of force displacement. Despite a large number of targets that have been proposed to trigger this asymmetry, an understanding of the comprehensive and synergistic effect of the antistress spatially related pathways is still lacking. Recent progress in the bioinformatics area has the potential to fill these gaps through the use of in silico studies, able to investigate biological functions and pathway overlaps, and to identify promising targets in plant responses.