Mast Seeding
Synchronized, highly variable seed production across tree populations, with years of massive production (mast years) interspersed with years of low production.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 2 chapters:
"Enterprises in stable markets allocate heavily to profitability (survive long-term, compound returns). Evidence 2: Oak Trees and Mast Seeding October 2021, Connecticut forest. Walk beneath a 300-year-old white oak. You hear it before you see it - crack, crack, crack - acorns hitting th..."
"...flowering improves pollination success (more pollen available when all individuals flower together); synchronized fruiting overwhelms seed predators (mast seeding). Coordination through mycorrhizal networks could explain how trees separated by hundreds of meters synchronize reproductive timing. Network Top..."
Biological Context
Oak and beech trees coordinate mast years across large regions. The strategy swamps seed predators in mast years—they can't eat everything—while starving them in off years. Coordination requires environmental cues and probably tree-to-tree communication.
Business Application
Coordinated market timing: launching products simultaneously with industry peers to overwhelm competitors' response capacity. Also applies to synchronized defensive actions.