Variation of physical seed dormancy and its ecological role in fire-prone ecosystems

In fire-prone regions, physical dormancy is common, and seeds depend on heat generated by fire to initiate germination. Increased soil temperatures during fire are the major dormancy-breaking stimulus of physically dormant species in fire-prone ecosystems, and they vary spatially and over time. Seeds must be able to respond to this variation, and we need to understand such variation, in order to predict how plant species persist in a changing environment. Currently there is an inadequate understanding of how physically dormant species respond to the variability of fire regimes. To address this knowledge gap I studied a range of physically dormant species from fire-prone south-eastern Australia.