As the climate changes, so too must the relationship between humans and the plants we use for food, medicine, tools, shelter, fuel and clothing. What, how and where we cultivate plants will change, as will the potential biotic and abiotic stresses faced by cultivated plants. This collection of articles explores engineering strategies to help us adapt plants to a changing climate, including breeding techniques, genome engineering, synthetic biology and microbiome engineering, with a focus on creating climate-resilient varieties and increasing the carbon-capture potential of croplands.
Image Credit: Joanna Clarke
Editorial
Engineering plants for a changing climate
PLOS Biology: published July 19, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002243
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Essays
Diamonds in the not-so-rough: Wild relative diversity hidden in crop genomes
PLOS Biology: published July 13, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002235
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How to engineer the unknown: Advancing a quantitative and predictive understanding of plant and soil biology to address climate change
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002190
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Perspectives
Policy recommendations to ensure that research software is openly accessible and reusable
PLOS Biology: published July 21, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002204
Bioimage informatics: Investing in software usability is essential
PLOS Biology: published July 31, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002213
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Systems neuroscience: A box full of tools to illuminate the black box of the brain
PLOS Biology: published July 27, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002221
Policy makers, genetic engineers, and an engaged public can work together to create climate-resilient plants
PLOS Biology: published July 13, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002208
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An integrated, systems-wide approach is needed for public–private partnerships to drive genetic innovation in crops
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002181
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Engineering photosynthesis, nature’s carbon capture machine
PLOS Biology: published July 11, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002183
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Can we manipulate the soil microbiome to promote carbon sequestration in croplands?
PLOS Biology: published July 12, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002207
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Primer
NR4A1 destabilizes TNF mRNA in microglia and modulates stroke outcomes
PLOS Biology: published July 25, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002226
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Community Page
Tools for using the International Rice Genebank to breed for climate-resilient varieties
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002215
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Research Articles
Insights into the coexistence of birds and humans in cropland through meta-analyses of bird exclosure studies, crop loss mitigation experiments, and social surveys
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002166
Honey bees and social wasps reach convergent architectural solutions to nest-building problems
PLOS Biology: published July 27, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002211
The fitness of an introgressing haplotype changes over the course of divergence and depends on its size and genomic location
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002185
Pan-European study of genotypes and phenotypes in the Arabidopsis relative Cardamine hirsuta reveals how adaptation, demography, and development shape diversity patterns
PLOS Biology: published July 18, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002191
Social network position is a major predictor of ant behavior, microbiota composition, and brain gene expression
PLOS Biology: published July 24, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002203
Intrinsic rewards explain context-sensitive valuation in reinforcement learning
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002201
Secondary motor integration as a final arbiter in sensorimotor decision-making
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002200
Similar object shape representation encoded in the inferolateral occipitotemporal cortex of sighted and early blind people
PLOS Biology: published July 25, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001930
Spatiotemporal dynamics characterise spectral connectivity profiles of continuous speaking and listening
PLOS Biology: published July 21, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002178
Supra-orbital whiskers act as wind-sensing antennae in rats
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002168
The ortholog of human ssDNA-binding protein SSBP3 influences neurodevelopment and autism-like behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster
PLOS Biology: published July 24, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002210
A systematic CRISPR screen reveals redundant and specific roles for Dscam1 isoform diversity in neuronal wiring
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002197
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Noncanonical contribution of microglial transcription factor NR4A1 to post-stroke recovery through TNF mRNA destabilization
PLOS Biology: published July 24, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002199
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The transcription factor HBP1 promotes ferroptosis in tumor cells by regulating the UHRF1-CDO1 axis
PLOS Biology: published July 5, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001862
Baf155 regulates skeletal muscle metabolism via HIF-1a signaling
PLOS Biology: published July 21, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002192
Structural and biochemical characterization of the key components of an auxin degradation operon from the rhizosphere bacterium Variovorax
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002189
A heterotrimeric complex of Toxoplasma proteins promotes parasite survival in interferon gamma-stimulated human cells
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002202
Short Reports
Partial inhibition of class III PI3K VPS-34 ameliorates motor aging and prolongs health span
PLOS Biology: published July 11, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002165
Evolutionarily conserved amino acids in MHC-II mediate bat influenza A virus entry into human cells
PLOS Biology: published July 6, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002182
Methods and Resources
Highly efficient CRISPR-mediated gene editing in a rotifer
PLOS Biology: published July 21, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001888
Targeting AAV vectors to the central nervous system by engineering capsid–receptor interactions that enable crossing of the blood–brain barrier
PLOS Biology: published July 19, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002112
Attenuation hotspots in neurotropic human astroviruses
PLOS Biology: published July 17, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001815
Meta-Research Article
The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science
PLOS Biology: published July 18, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002184
Discovery Report
Structures of the Hepaci-, Pegi-, and Pestiviruses envelope proteins suggest a novel membrane fusion mechanism
PLOS Biology: published July 11, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002174
Formal Comment
Existence and significance of viral nonreplicative RNA recombination
PLOS Biology: published July 25, 2023 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002216