Impact of saltmarsh disturbance on seed quality of Sarcocornia (Sarcocornia quinqueflora), a food plant of an endangered Australian parrot

The article presents a study which evaluates the impact of saltmarsh perturbation on seed quality of Sarcocornia which is a food for the endangered Orange-bellied parrot in Australia. It notes the significant impact of grazing on the energy and availability of Sarcocornia seeds in saltmarshes and indicates that graze-free saltmarshes with regular inundation provide the highest potential for Sarcocornia seed availability. Further, the substantial factor of soil characteristics and salinity of flood water and inundation on the seed production of Sarcocornia is also discussed.