The role of seed dormancy and longevity in the annual and perennial life cycles

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The time when seeds germinate is important for the adaptation of plants to their environment and will influence the timing of all subsequent developmental phases including flowering time. Seed traits like dormancy and longevity determine the time of germination and are influenced by environmental conditions during seed maturation. Seed dormancy and longevity have mainly been studied in annual plants like Arabidopsis thaliana and little is known about these traits in perennial plants. The objective of this project is to reveal how the annual and perennial life strategies influence seed traits such as dormancy and longevity. Seed dormancy and longevity will be scored in sets of closely related perennial and annual Brassicaceae species and in accessions of the perennial model plant Arabis alpina with different lengths of flowering episodes. In addition, a genetic dissection of seed traits will be performed in relation to life strategies by crossing perennial and annual accessions of Erysimum capitatum.The genes DOG1 and FLC influence seed and flowering traits. Their role in seed and perennial traits of the different Brassicaceae species will be determined by expression analysis and transgenesis. Seed traits and expression levels of seed genes in the selected species will also be studied under natural conditions by burying seeds in the soil for various durations over two years.This project will give new insights in the adaptation of plants to their environment and in our understanding of life history evolution.