Plant adaptations to climate extremes: Lessons from native species
Abstract
Climate extremes such as droughts, heatwaves, floods, cold snaps, and salinity stress represent some of the most significant threats to plant survival and ecosystem stability in the Anthropocene. Global climate change is intensifying the frequency, duration, and severity of these events, challenging agricultural productivity, food security, and biodiversity conservation. Native plant species, however, provide valuable insights into the strategies plants use to adapt and persist under extreme conditions. Through morphological, physiological, biochemical, genetic, and phenological adaptations, native species have evolved resilience to fluctuating and sometimes hostile environments. Their survival strategies include deep or specialized root systems, water storage tissues, protective structures like thick cuticles or trichomes, stomatal regulation, osmotic adjustment, synthesis of stress proteins and secondary metabolites, and shifts in flowering or seed dormancy patterns. Studying these adaptations not only enhances our understanding of evolutionary processes but also offers lessons for crop breeding, ecosystem restoration, and climate-resilient land management. This article explores the wide spectrum of plant adaptations to climate extremes, highlights case studies of native species from diverse ecosystems, evaluates their ecological and agricultural significance, and underscores the necessity of integrating these lessons into strategies for global sustainability.