Fig. 1

Schematic comparison of plant lifestyles. a Summer annual monocarpic plant. After germination in spring, flowering is induced within the same year as the plant is ab initio competent (orange arrow) to respond to flower-promoting long days. Each generation is terminated by seed development and subsequent senescence. b Winter annual monocarpic plant. After germination in spring, the plant only becomes competent to respond to floral induction after experiencing a prolonged period of cold (green arrow, vegetative shoot before vernalization; orange arrow, reproductive shoot after vernalization). c Polycarpic perennial plant. After germination in spring and after reaching maturity, a prolonged period of cold is required to respond to flower-inducing conditions. Main shoot meristems are vegetative before (green arrows), and become reproductive after vernalization (orange arrows). Reproductive transition is prevented for a subset of shoot meristems to ensure vegetative growth after flowering ceases until the following reproductive cycle. After seed production, reproductive shoots become senescent