The Ecology of Reactive Oxygen Species Signalling

Abstract

In the environment, plant growth is affected and controlled by various biotic and abiotic factors. The global climatic factors and abiotic stressors such as extreme temperatures, salinity, droughts, and heavy metal contamination have all had a significant impact on plant growth and development, influencing crop output and quality, as well as agriculture’s long-term viability. Abiotic stress causes plant cells to create oxygen radicals and their derivatives, known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, in higher plants, the creation of ROS is a critical mechanism that transfers cellular signalling information in response to changing environmental circumstances. Abiotic stress disrupts the equilibrium between ROS production and antioxidant defence mechanisms, causing excessive ROS to build up and oxidative stress in plants. Plants under stress can even maintain the balance between detoxification and ROS generation that is controlled by the enzymatic and non-enzymatic defence systems. Despite the high level of interest in this field, it is relatively unexplored, and our understanding of ROS signalling is limited. The harmful effects of ROS, antioxidant defence systems involved in ROS detoxification under various abiotic stresses, and molecular crosstalk with other important signalling molecules such as reactive nitrogen, sulphur, and carbonyl species will all be discussed in this chapter. Furthermore, cutting-edge molecular strategies for ROS-mediated enhancement of plant antioxidant defence during abiotic stress adaption will be explored.