Study
Seed dormancy and the control of germination
Finch-Savage, William E.; Leubner-Metzger, Gerhard
New Phytologist, 2006
A review integrating the molecular control of dormancy with its ecological function, covering the recognised dormancy classes — physiological, physical, morphological and combinations — and the environmental cues that release each.
- Studied in
- Angiospermae
- Sample size
- review of dormancy classes and their ecological distribution
Dormancy classes map onto habitat: physical dormancy with hard seed coats is common in fire-prone and seasonally arid systems, physiological dormancy released by cold stratification in temperate ones. Dormancy depth is itself adjusted by conditions during seed maturation on the parent plant.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Dormancy is an environmental sensing system that matches germination timing to the conditions a seedling will actually face.
How NatureHQ reads it
Dormancy is best understood as a bet, and the cue is what makes the bet informed. A seed requiring months of cold before it will germinate is not waiting for warmth — it is confirming that winter has actually happened, so it does not sprout during a mild November. A seed requiring smoke chemicals is confirming that a fire has cleared the canopy. In each case the requirement encodes a prediction about the world the seedling will emerge into.
- Dormancy classification schemes vary between authors.
- Ecological associations are correlational across floras.
- Molecular mechanisms are known in detail for very few species.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Wiley journalsPublished in a Wiley journal.
doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01787.x
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-10.