Is the red designed to attract or scare away predators?

I gave myself a treat this morning by doing a watercolour drawing of a doolan branch with open seed pods. Although the doolan is a very plain looking acacia that most people don't like because it drops branches, its seed pods are extraordinary. The seed is jet black and shiny and is surrounded by a layer of bright red material. When the seed drops to the ground the occasional flash of red betrays its position in the leaf litter. I wonder if the red colour around the seed has evolved to attract or scare away eaters of seed?