Heat-Induced Secondary Dormancy Contributes to Local Adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Seeds should not germinate in conditions unsuitable for seedling growth. Dormancy, which allows seeds to remain inactive in an environment that would otherwise enable germination, helps optimise the timing of germination. Primary dormancy, developed during seed maturation on the parent plant, prevents immediate germination post-dispersal, regardless of external conditions. Secondary dormancy, however, is triggered post-dispersal when seeds face unfavourable conditions, enabling them to re-enter dormancy even if initially non-dormant. This mechanism allows seeds to fine-tune germination according to environmental conditions. In this study, we examined the role of heat-induced secondary dormancy in local adaptation by analysing natural variations within 361 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions from across Europe. We discovered that secondary dormancy acquisition varies with primary dormancy levels and after-ripening. Both primary and heat-induced secondary dormancy exhibited adaptive clines along temperature and precipitation gradients, with secondary dormancy showing a steeper cline, indicating its significant role in local adaptation. Using species distribution models, we predicted that genotypes with high secondary dormancy would show greater resilience to future climate changes. Additionally, we identified specific genomic regions controlling secondary dormancy levels including a novel candidate gene for secondary dormancy variation. Our findings show that secondary dormancy is a complex adaptive mechanism and a predominant contributor to the dormancy trait syndrome that favours plant survival in habitats exposed to harsh summers.