![]() Variability in seed germination could be explained by population-based threshold (PBT) models. Differences between seeds underlay bet-hedging strategy that maximizes the chances of survival of the seed pool in the long term. Multiple studies of that phenomenon, including in the model plant Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana), showed substantial variability of dormancy depth even between genetically identical seeds ( Mitchell et al., 2016). That is why choosing the right time to germinate may be a matter of life and death. In addition, sessile seedlings can encounter unpredictable risks such as herbivores and drought, from which they are generally more protected as seeds. ![]() The delay of germination is crucial for the survival of fragile seedlings in environments with contrasting seasons or highly changeable weather. Seeds of many species acquire primary dormancy upon maturation, which is later released to enable seedling establishment. Seeds can postpone germination even under an ideal combination of environmental conditions in a phenomenon called seed dormancy ( Nonogaki, 2014). In most plant species, mother plants produce large numbers of seeds that undergo dispersion, allowing colonization of new territories and propagation into further seasons. Our results also showed that single-seed RNA-seq is the method of choice for analyzing seed bet-hedging-related phenomena. In summary, interrogating hundreds of single-seed transcriptomes during SD-inducing treatment revealed variability among the transcriptomes that could result from the distribution of population-based sensitivity thresholds. Interestingly, a significant fraction of genes with variable expression encoded translation-related factors. ![]() In agreement, transcriptomes of dormancy-deficient seeds (mutant of DELAY OF GERMINATION 1) showed a shift toward higher values of the germination competence index. We identified groups of genes whose expression showed a specific pattern through a time course and used these groups to position the individual seeds along the transcriptional gradient of germination competence. We developed a single-seed RNA-seq strategy that allowed us to observe a reduction in seed transcriptional heterogeneity as seeds enter stress conditions, followed by an increase during recovery. Here, in the model plant Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana), we induced secondary dormancy (SD) to address the transcriptional heterogeneity among seeds that leads to binary germination/nongermination outcomes. Some plant species have adopted a bet-hedging strategy to germinate a variable fraction of seeds in any given condition, and this could be explained by population-based threshold models. Seeds are highly resilient to the external environment, which allows plants to persist in unpredictable and unfavorable conditions.
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