Definition
Dormant state refers to a reduced metabolic activity phase adopted as strategy to escape stressful conditions and/or save energy. It refers to a latent but capable to be active state. The adverse weather conditions (low temperature in winter time, etc.…) drive a plant or animal population to reduce their metabolic activity in order to preserve themselves avoiding frosting conditions. The spore state of sporulating Gram-positive bacteria is considered a dormant state of the bacterium.
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Gomez, F. (2014). Dormant State. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5179-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5179-2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4
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