Identifying Seeds Found in the Australian Rain Forest

One of the most interesting and inspirational parts of the volunteer work I did as part of an Earthwatch investigation under the direction of Dr. David Westcott at the CSIRO field station in Atherton, Queensland, Australia involved seed identification. At the time, Dr. Westcott and his team were researching how the Australian rainforest function and one of the key questions they investigated is how seeds are dispersed in order to understand the growth patterns of the rain forest. Most of our work involved tracking the range of two different species of birds through the rain forest-a Lewin's Honeyeater and a tooth-billed bowerbird. We recorded birds that visited various fruiting trees, and examined bird visits to areas of rainforest left inside farmland.

My day on seed collection and research duty started in the morning. Dr. Westcott took me to a variety of locations where we hiked and picked up seeds fallen from trees. The emphasis was collecting a variety, so we picked up any unusual seeds and bagged them.

As part of the hike, I was taken to different elevations where the biosphere varied and introduced to one of the more famous residents--bowerbirds. Bowerbirds build an elaborate nest as a way of attracting mates. I learned the difference between the habits of three different species of bowerbirds-the tooth-billed bowerbird, the satin bowerbird and at a higher elevation i.e. above 900m, the golden bowerbird. In one species, the male collected shiny objects i.e. leaves where one side reflected better. The other species male collected unusual items like shells. [see photograph 2 for a bowerbird nest]

Dr. Westcott told a tale about one of the funny side effects of their research in the Australian rainforest. After putting out blue flagging tape to mark various trees, the male bowerbirds started stealing it. Because of this, the researchers had to switch to orange tape.

After our morning hike, we returned to the CSIRO research station where I was taught to weigh and measure the entire seed and to count, measure and weigh the seeds within a shell of a more elaborate seed. Using a plant identification book, I matched the seed using color, shape, weight, and number of inner seeds to identify the parent plant. The book "Fruits of the Australian Rainforest" by Wendy Cooper and with illustrations by her husband William T. Cooper was a useful cross reference since I could check that I had the right plant based on usual size and fruiting season. I found a red walnut so poisonous that I was advised to wash my hands after touching it. [see photograph 1 for a sample of Australian seeds]

All of the data was entered onto a worksheet. Those I was unable to identify were flagged for the researcher to identify. Australia has a huge variety of plant life in the rainforest, which is part of why research took many years as it investigated the various processes that affected the entire the ecosystem including the fruiting of the trees, the ability by mammals and birds to digest seeds, how far they traveled and where they traveled.

I found this work in the Australian Rainforest fascinating for a number of reasons. For one, I love to garden and am always seeking new plants that attract wildlife. I was an avid birder before I started my stint with this project and both my husband and I grew to appreciate the larger ecosystem constraints in which animals live. Now when we travel around the world to seek birds, we also look for trees, animals, flowering and fruiting plants, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, even insects and snakes, the study always broadening to a better understanding of the world.

See the full slideshow, Australian Rainforest Project Pictures.