Karrikins: Germination Stimulants Produced by Wildfires

Abstract

Karrikins are simple organic chemicals produced by wildfires that stimulate germination of dormant seeds in the soil. They are present in the smoke and char produced by the fire and are washed into the soil by the following rains. Many plant species have evolved such that their seeds remain dormant in the soil until they encounter karrikins, whereupon they can germinate. This strategy has the advantage that emerging seedlings will have plenty of light and a supply of nutrients released by the fire. Such plants are termed ‘fire ephemerals’ because they appear after fires, then flower, produce seed and die. It is believed that karrikins mimic an unidentified endogenous germination hormone. Karrikins are also similar to endogenous hormones called strigolactones that control plant development. Karrikin perception by seeds apparently requires a protein closely related to the strigolactone receptor. Karrikins or smoke can be used to stimulate germination in horticulture and landscape revegetation. Key Concepts Wildfires stimulate seeds in the soil to germinate which contributes to rapid revegetation. Seeds from many plant species are adapted to respond to chemicals produced by fire. The most active germination stimulant produced by wildfires is a butenolide named ‘karrikin’. Karrikins can influence germination and also seedling development. The receptor protein and molecular components of the response pathway have been identified. Karrikins mimic an ancient endogenous plant hormone that has not yet been identified. Karrikins stimulate germination of agricultural weeds and so might be useful for their control. Karrikins provide tools and knowledge to help us manage our natural landscapes. Karrikins might be useful in seed conservation work and in seed banks. The karrikin signalling system might be applied in crop breeding for environmental resilience.

Strigolactone and Karrikin Signaling Pathways Elicit Ubiquitination and Proteolysis of SMXL2 to Regulate Hypocotyl Elongation in Arabidopsis

“…However, until the endogenous ligand for KAI2 is identified, it is difficult to fully assess the factors that result in KAI2-mediated regulation of seed germination and seedling development. Therefore, discovery of the endogenous KL is becoming increasingly important (Morffy et al, 2016;Sun et al, 2016;Waters et al, 2017;Yao et al, 2018a;Smith, 2019).…”