A review of the stress physiology and ecology of desert plants

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00060

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (3): 72-79.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00060

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A review of the stress physiology and ecology of desert plants

Hongxia Zhang¹^,²(), Rongliang Jia¹, Pengshan Zhao¹, Xin Zhao¹, Xiaoyun Cui¹

^1.State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands / Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station，Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^2.Observation Station of Subalpine Ecology Systems in the Middle Qilian Mountains，Xining 810000，China

Received:2025-03-31 Revised:2025-05-05 Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-06-30

Abstract

Abstract:

The desert ecosystem is one of the most fragile and unique ecosystems in the world. Desert plants， through their distinctive and complex physiological and ecological adaptation mechanisms， are able to survive under extreme conditions such as severe drought， high temperatures， and salinity-alkalinity stress. In recent years， significant progress has been made in the study of stress physiology and ecology of desert plants. This paper provides a systematic review of the adaptive strategies of desert plants in terms of morphological adaptation， water regulation， osmotic adjustment， photosynthetic physiology， and molecular mechanisms. It elucidates how desert plants sustain growth and survival under stressful environments through multi-level optimization of structural morphology， regulation of physiological metabolism， and modulation of gene expression. By summarizing the current research status in these aspects， this review also outlines future research directions， aiming to deepen the understanding of the adaptive mechanisms of desert plants and to provide a theoretical foundation and scientific guidance for ecological adaptation studies and the restoration of desert ecosystems.

Key words: desert plants, stress physiology, ecological adaptation, plant water relations, hydraulic traits

CLC Number:

Hongxia Zhang, Rongliang Jia, Pengshan Zhao, Xin Zhao, Xiaoyun Cui. A review of the stress physiology and ecology of desert plants[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2025, 45(3): 72-79.

Figures/Tables 1

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