Dormancy
A state of minimal metabolic activity that allows organisms to survive unfavorable conditions. Dormancy can last days to centuries and is triggered by environmental cues.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 5 chapters:
"The bear had entered hibernation at 380 pounds instead of the minimum 420 needed for a safe emergence. It survived dormancy by burning through every available calorie. But waking up requires a surge of energy - bringing body temperature from 88°F back to 98°F, restarting f..."
"...weed) - Avoids winter freeze: Monarchs can't survive freezing temperatures (Mexico overwintering site is 10,000 feet altitude - cold enough to induce dormancy, not cold enough to freeze) - Population expansion: 3,000-mile range allows 4 generations to exploit seasonal resources (vs."
"Book 4, Chapter 1: Germination - Breaking Dormancy Part 1: The Biology of Germination A seed sits in the soil. It could be there for days. Months. Years."
"...Pitfall 2: Redundancy Without Maintenance - Backup Systems That Don't Work When Needed* Backup systems sit unused for months or years. During this dormancy, components degrade, configurations drift from primary systems, software becomes outdated, consumables expire, and personnel forget activation proced..."
"Instead, desert annuals practice bet-hedging: they spread germination across multiple years by maintaining seed dormancy.[^1] [^1]: The bet-hedging strategy in desert annuals is well-documented in evolutionary biology. See Philippi & Seger (1989), "Hedging One's Evolut..."
Biological Context
Seeds, spores, and some animals enter dormancy to survive drought, cold, or resource scarcity. Dormancy requires minimal energy but the organism cannot grow or reproduce. Breaking dormancy requires specific conditions that signal favorable environment.
Business Application
Business dormancy: suspending operations to survive unfavorable conditions. Mothballed facilities, paused projects, minimal-maintenance mode. Dormancy preserves core capabilities while minimizing costs. The challenge is knowing when conditions favor reactivation.