The germination potential of Acacia species in the Negev and Sinai is greatly affected by populations of gazelles and by several species of seed beetles (bruchids). Most of the seeds produced are eaten by gazelles or damaged by bruchids. In seeds with intact embryo (not damaged by bruchids or by the teeth of gazelles), germination was improved by passage through the digestive tract of the mammals. The role of bruchid infestation and gazelle feeding in this improved germination is discussed. The interactions between acacias, bruchids and gazelles are conducive to the development of characters with a high adaptive value to extreme desert conditions.
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Gideon Halevy (1974) studied this question.