According to new research published in Biotropica, marine mega-herbivores including dugongs and sea turtles play a pivotal role in spreading or dispersing, seagrass seeds throughout the ocean. Scientists discovered that the tiny seeds can disperse over hundreds of miles, and germinate rapidly, after they are ingested and then pooped out by dugongs (Dugong dugong) or green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).
Although it’s common knowledge that terrestrial animals boost the germination potential of the fruits and seeds they eat, “for some unknown reason, no one had actually gone out and seen whether that was true for dugongs, turtles and seagrasses,” lead author Samantha Tol, a marine ecologist at James Cook University, Australia, told Mongabay.
“Not only are the seeds germinating, they germinate at a far faster rate than what we’re used to with seagrasses … it confirms that dugongs and turtles are helping to maintain seagrass meadows, keeping them healthy and resilient,” Tol said.
