Bucknell's Martine Contributes to Study on Martu Aboriginal Seed Dispersal

A recent study co-authored by Bucknell University Professor Chris Martine, biology, David Burpee Professor in Plant Genetics & Research, demonstrates how traditional practices of the Martu Aboriginal people in Australia play a crucial role in the distribution and survival of native plants.

The study, led by Penn State University Professor Rebecca Bliege Bird, anthropology, and co-authored by additional researchers from Penn State, the University Of Western Australia, Western Anthropological Research Group and the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, was published in Nature Communications. It combines ecological surveys and ethnographic research to examine how Martu seed dispersal and landscape burning support the abundance and diversity of native species in Australia's Great and Little Sandy Deserts.

The Martu, who have lived in the Western Desert for at least 48,000 years, practiced a mobile lifestyle of hunting and gathering until the mid-20th century. The study shows that practices such as intentionally setting small fires and transporting seeds have helped distribute important food plants, including bush tomatoes and bush raisins, near traditional habitation sites.

"The paper was about the movement of seeds of native plants used as a food source," Martine says. "There are not a lot of projects showing that connection in a peer-reviewed way."

Martine's involvement in the study began when Penn State researchers, led by Bird, found that Martine’s team was already cultivating the desert plant Solanum diversiflorum (a species of bush tomato) in their lab at Bucknell. That led to a collaboration that eventually received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has spanned four years of joint research.

The study's findings indicate that bush tomato patches are more likely to be found near Martu habitation sites and water sources. This suggests that human activities are key in dispersing seeds across the desert landscape. Researchers found that Martu gathering and dispersal of seeds around these sites create unique patterns of plant distribution, with effects still visible today. The study also showed that seeds collected by the Martu are often transported across hundreds of kilometers to other communities, further expanding their range.

The research also examined the role of Martu burning practices in promoting biodiversity. According to the study, Martu people have traditionally burned the landscape in small, controlled patches during cooler months. This technique, in contrast to uncontrolled natural fires, helps maintain plant diversity by creating a mosaic of habitats that support both plant and animal species.

"One of my lab group's primary roles has been doing population genetics," Martine says, describing a second component of the research. "We're trying to see, with the use of this plant by the Martu community, are they also influencing the species at the DNA level?"

The Bucknell team is currently analyzing whether Martu seed dispersal practices may contribute to genetic health among bush tomato populations — a subject Martine and his colleagues plan to publish in a future paper.

In addition to bush tomatoes, the study examined other native plants like bush raisin (Solanum centrale) and woollybutt grass (Eragrostis eriopoda), which have been traditionally gathered and processed by Martu. Researchers noted that Martu gathering practices create a lasting ecological footprint by concentrating seeds near processing sites.

The findings underscore the critical role that Indigenous practices can play in maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. "Recognizing the important role of Indigenous peoples in these ecosystems, particularly in the dispersal and abundance of wild plants, has critical significance for a wide range of conservation issues," Martine says.

This work has also been featured in the latest episode of Martine's online video series Plants Are Cool, Too, which highlights the collaboration’s research on the relationship between Martu practices and native plant survival. The study suggests that Martu land management practices, sustained over thousands of years, could provide valuable insights for modern conservation efforts.