mucilage

Seed dispersal but not seed germination facilitated by seabirds: seed ecology of Cook’s scurvy grass

Lepidium oleraceum (Brassicaceae) is a threatened New Zealand plant closely associated with seabird colony environments. We hypothesise that this spatial coincidence arises from seabird dispersal of L. oleraceum seed and/or guano stimulating germination. To test the possibility of seabird epizoochory, we used laboratory studies to examine L. oleraceum seed adhesion and tolerance to seawater immersion.