Serotiny is an ecological adaptation exhibited by some seed plants, in which seed release occurs in response to an environmental trigger, rather than spontaneously at seed maturation. The most common and best studied trigger is fire, and although serotiny is often used to refer to this specific case, this is an overgeneralization. Generally, serotiny refers to plants that release their seed over a long period of time, irrespective of whether release is spontaneous. In this sense, the term is synonymous with bradyspory.