Is glue production by seeds of Salvia columbariae a deterrent to desert granivores?

With a few notable exceptions, most ecological studies on seed-granivore interactions in arid communities have concentrated on the adaptations and ecology of the granivores and not on characteristics of the seeds that may deter granivory. Since a large portion of the annual seed crop of many desert ephemerals is lost to seed predators, characteristics that significantly reduce losses to granivores should be strongly selected. The authors show that under natural conditions seeds of the desert annual S. columbariae produce a glue-like substance when wetted that strongly binds sand grains to the seeds, and that seeds thus covered by sand suffer significantly less loss to desert granivores.