[ELI5] How do seeds know when they’re in dirt?
In: Earth Science
They don’t. They do however know when there’s moisture, which activates the sprouting mechanism. Some will find dirt and survive. Some will die.
Interaction with their outer layer.
E.g. a combination or moisture differences, light differences, pressures differences.
However, they don’t know that it’s dirt and if you replicate the conditions you need outside of dirt the seed will still sprout.
For many seed I believe it’s just a prolonged contact with moisture that is required.
Seeds are triggered to grow by external factors (primarily the presence of moisture and sufficiently high ambient temperature).
If you put a bunch of seeds on a paper towel and keep them damp for a few days they’ll sprout. They won’t grow well in the absence of a substrate, but they’ll definitely turn into a little seedling.
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