Seeds for Restoration: Germination, Recalcitrance, and Ecosystem Recovery under Climate Change

Seed germination is a critical bottleneck in the plant life cycle, directly shaping species establishment, population dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. As the first irreversible step in plant recruitment, germination determines whether and where species persist across landscapes — making it a central process in functional plant ecology, conservation biology, and ecosystem management. Germination responses emerge from complex interactions between environmental factors — temperature, light, salinity, and water availability — and intrinsic seed traits including dormancy status, size, and metabolic activity. Understanding these interactions is essential for predicting plant recruitment patterns and for designing effective restoration and conservation strategies.In forest ecosystems, successful regeneration is frequently constrained by abiotic stress, particularly under current climate change scenarios. Increasing temperature extremes and water scarcity are expected to alter germination niches and reduce seedling establishment, threatening forest diversity and structural integrity. A deeper understanding of seed ecophysiology — spanning field-based ecological assessments and controlled physiological studies — is urgently needed to support large-scale reforestation, forest recomposition, and ecological restoration initiatives.A particular challenge is posed by species producing recalcitrant seeds, which are highly sensitive to desiccation and low temperatures and therefore unsuitable for conventional seed banking. Many of these species are ecologically and economically important in tropical and subtropical forests, yet the physiological basis of recalcitrance — including desiccation sensitivity, the absence of maturation drying, and the limits of dormancy — remains incompletely understood, and their conservation demands alternative biological and technical approaches.Plant biotechnology offers critical tools for addressing these challenges. Strategies such as cryopreservation, in vitro culture of seeds and zygotic embryos, somatic embryogenesis, and the application of plant growth regulators — including gibberellins, cytokinins, and auxins — have emerged as promising approaches for the conservation and propagation of forest species, though outcomes remain highly species-dependent and technically demanding. Recent advances in molecular biology and omics technologies complement these efforts, providing new insight into the regulatory networks underlying dormancy, desiccation tolerance, and germination competence.This Research Topic brings together interdisciplinary contributions addressing seed germination biology, recalcitrant seed conservation, and plant biotechnology, and their applications in forest restoration, reforestation, and the recovery of degraded ecosystems. By integrating functional plant ecology, seed physiology, and biotechnology, this collection aims to advance scientific knowledge and support sustainable solutions for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience.We welcome original research, reviews, and perspectives on topics including, but not limited to:-Seed responses to abiotic stress in forest ecosystems-Dormancy mechanisms and dormancy-breaking treatments-Forest recomposition and reforestation strategies using seeds-Assisted regeneration and ecological restoration under climate change-Biology and physiology of recalcitrant and intermediate seeds-In vitro culture of seeds, zygotic embryos, and somatic embryos-Cryopreservation and ex situ conservation strategies for recalcitrant species-Plant growth regulators in seed germination and propagation-Advances in seed physiology and germination ecology-Omics approaches applied to seed biology Topic editors: MARCELO FRANCISCO POMPELLI, Arvind Bhatt, Miguel Pedro Guerra, Alfredo Jarma-Orozco Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80946/seeds-for-restoration-germination-recalcitrance-and-ecosystem-recovery-under-climate-change