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Burning vegetation produces cyanohydrins that liberate cyanide and stimulate seed germination

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posted on 2023-05-18, 11:15 authored by Flematti, GR, Merritt, DJ, Piggott, MJ, Trengove, RD, Steven SmithSteven Smith, Dixon, KW, Ghisalberti, EL
Cyanide is well known for its toxicity towards living organisms. Many plants use cyanide as a defensive agent against herbivores, releasing it through the enzymatic hydrolysis of endogenous cyanogenic compounds. At low concentrations, cyanide has been proposed to have a regulatory role in many plant processes including stimulation of seed germination. However, no ecological role for cyanide in seed germination has been established. In the present study, we show that burning plant material produces the cyanohydrin, glyceronitrile. We also show that, in the presence of water, glyceronitrile is slowly hydrolysed to release cyanide that stimulates seed germination of a diverse range of fire-responsive species from different continents. We propose that glyceronitrile serves as an ecological store for cyanide and is an important cue for stimulating seed germination and landscape regeneration after fires.

History

Publication title

Nature Communications

Article number

360

Number

360

Pagination

1-7

ISSN

2041-1723

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences

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