The Diet of the Rufous Hare-Wallaby (Marsupialia, Macropodidae) in the Tanami Desert

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 527 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Mainland Population ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Average Rainfall ◽  
Feed The Future ◽  
Burnt Areas ◽  
Nitrogen Contents

The summer diet of a population of the rufous hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus, was studied by survey of grazed plants and microscopic analysis of faecal pellets following a season of above-average rainfall. The fibre and nitrogen contents of food plants were examined and the abundance of food plants in the habitat was determined to assess dietary selectivity. L. hirsutus had a diverse diet but selectively grazed the seeds and shoots of certain grasses and sedges as well as some dicotyledons. High- and low-fibre food items occurred in faecal samples, suggesting that L. hirsutus possesses considerable dietary adaptability. Individuals may travel appreciable distances into saline interdune and recently burnt areas to feed. The future survival of the only known mainland population appears to be largely dependent on continued mosaic-burning of its habitat to maintain mature spinifex for shelter adjacent to areas of regeneration that provide a range of preferred food items.

Temporal analysis of the diet of the central rock-rat

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The West ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
The Past ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Central Australia ◽  
Solanum Spp

The central rock-rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) is an endangered endemic rodent that has undergone a dramatic range contraction over the past century. It is currently known from only a small area of the West MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs. A previous investigation into the species’ diet that analysed a small number of faecal samples concluded tentatively that it was a granivore. The present study aimed to establish the dietary patterns of Z. pedunculatus across a two-year period in central Australia during which rainfall fluctuated markedly. Diet was determined through the microscopic analysis of material in faecal pellets of Z. pedunculatus trapped at approximately three-month intervals at five sites at Ormiston Gorge. Seed was found to be the most important dietary item, comprising on average 57.0% of the diet across sample periods. Under dry conditions, the amount of seed material in the diet declined and the amount of stem material increased. Plant material from 15 genera was recorded in the diet, most notably Sida spp., Solanum spp. and Triodia brizoides. All of the plant genera identified in the diet to date are widespread and common in the range country of central Australia and most are considered fire tolerant. On the basis that the diet contains more than 50% seeds, Z. pedunculatus can be described as a granivore. However, the diet is broad and includes both seeds and vegetative material from a range of plant species.

The Diets of the Large Rock-Rat, Zyzomys Woodwardi, and the Common Rock-Rat, Z. Argurus (Rodentia: Muridae).

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Begg ◽  
CJ Dunlop
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Food Store ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reference Collection ◽  
The Common

The diets of Zyzomys woodwardi from two habitat types and Z, argurus from one of them were investigated by microanalysis of faecal samples which were collected over a 12-month period. Forty-three species of food plants were identified. Differences were found in the diets of Z. woodwardi from the two habitat types, according to the different food plants available; the two species living sympatrically shared 52% of plant species identified. Both species ate a wide range of seed sizes, according to what was available seasonally. Hard-shelled seeds remained on the ground as a ready food store for much of the year but grasses were utilized only in the dry season, as they rotted or germinated during the wet. The technique used produced fragments that were identifiable, when the reference collection was sufficiently extensive, but was not suitable for detailed quantitative comparisons and was extremely time-consuming.

Ecology of the rufous hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus Gould (Marsupialia : Macropodidae) in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory.II Diet and feeding strategy.

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Lundie-Jenkins ◽  
CM Phillips ◽  
PJ Jarman
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Minor Components ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Direct Observations

The diet preferences and selectivity of the rufous hare-wallaby in the Tanami Desert were examined at a number of sites and over a number of seasons by microscopic analysis of faecal pellets and direct observations. Perennial grasses were the most consistent plant items in the diet. Grass seeds were seasonally important as were the seeds and bulbs of sedges. Species of dicots were also used but most represented only minor components in the diet. Several species of plant common to the area were noticeably absent from the diet. Differences in the diets between four sites of varying floristic composition and fire history were consistent with differences in vegetation cover at each site. Overall, the absolute proportions and ratios of monocots and dicots and of leaf and seed portions were strongly similar for all sites, as were seasonal changes in the proportions of the four main plant categories (monocots, dicots, seeds and fruits). These changes correlated with local rainfall. Comparisons of plants eaten and plants available indicate the hare-wallabies' preference for monocots, particularly seed and fruit components. In contrast consumption of dicots was influericed by the declining quality of other preferred plants. Insects were seasonally important in the diet and appear to be a potentially important nitrogen supplement during drier times. The feeding strategy of the rufous hare-wallaby is flexible and enables it to exploit fully food resources whose availability is often limited in both time and space. During droughts it seems likely that the species is food stressed and this could lead to localised declines.

Diet of the Mountain Pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) and other small mamma ls in the alpine environment at Mt Higginbotham, Victoria.

1990 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
I. Mansergh ◽  
B. Baxter ◽  
D. Scotts ◽  
T. Brady ◽  
D. Jolley
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Alpine Environment ◽  
Percentage Composition ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Dietary Component ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes ◽  
Vegetative Component

The diets of Burramys parvus, Rattus fuscipes and Antechinus swainsonii in Podocarpus lawrencei heathland in alpine Victoria during the non-winter period were determined from analysis of 264 faecal pellets. Both frequency of occurrence and mean percentage composition of dietary items in the samples were determined; the Iatter being used to assess the diet. We found B. parvus to be an omnivore concentrating on insec ts. It eats a variety of foods but the Bogong Moth (Agrolis infusa) is heavily exploited (31 % of the composition of faecal samples) especially by females during the breeding season (46 %). Other components of the diet are other invertebrates, predominantly insects (32 %) and vegetative material (16 %). Seasonal differences in the composition of the diet of B. parvus were due to the exploitation of fruit in the non-breeding season. No differences in diet were observed between age-classes and the sexes but females are sedentary in food resource-rich habitats, whilst when not breeding, males occur in areas of poorer food resources. Circumstantial evidence suggests that during facultative hibernation a major dietary component of B. parvus may be seeds, cached from the previous summer-autumn. The diet of R. fuscipes consists mainly of insects (12 %) and the largest vegetative component was seeds (10.1 %). Fungi were found in 53 % of faecal samples of R. fuscipes but could not be quantified as a percentage composition of diet. The species is classified as a selective omnivore. The diet of A. swainsonii consisted of 68 % in sec ts, 10.4 % of insect setae and worms with the major vegetative component (5.2 %) being soft fruits. Burramys parvus, relative to the other small mammals with which it cohabits, has become a specialist in exploiting the abundant and rich food resource of Bogong moths.

The diet of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) from the monsoonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald S. C. Firth ◽  
Elizabeth Jefferys ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Richard A. Noske
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Seed Material ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Significant Difference

The diet of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) was assessed by microscopic analysis of faecal samples from 35 individuals collected from three different sites in the Northern Territory (Garig Gunak Barlu National Park (Cobourg Peninsula), Kakadu National Park and Melville Island) at various times of the year during 2000–02. Seed was the most abundant item in the overall diet of C. penicillatus, making up 68% of identifiable particles, with smaller proportions contributed by leaves (21%), plant stems (8%) and insects (2%). ANOSIM tests revealed no difference in diet between the sexes and seasons, but there was a significant difference in the diet between the sites, with seed material present in 74% of the samples from Cobourg and in 62% and 58% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Leaf matter was present in 19% of samples from Cobourg and in 26% and 24% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Stem material was present in only 6% of samples from Cobourg and in 8% and 13% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Insect matter was present in small quantities across all three sites. The high proportion of seed in the diet suggests that C. penicillatus is primarily granivorous.

Using faecal samples in lizard dietary studies

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Luiselli ◽  
Valentín Pérez-Mellado ◽  
Mario Garrido ◽  
Ana Pérez-Cembranos ◽  
Claudia Corti
Keyword(s):  
Balearic Islands ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Arthropod Predators ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Podarcis Lilfordi ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Dietary Analyses

AbstractWhile the use of faecal pellets is widely accepted as a primary methodological source of data for dietary studies, a recent paper advocated for the use of gut contents. This was due to the fact that faecal samples would give biased results of the diet of arthropod predators, due to a lower representation of soft-bodied prey in faecal pellets. To test this assumption, we compared the spring diet of several populations of two insular lizards from the Balearic Islands (Spain), Podarcis lilfordi and Podarcis pityusensis, using both faecal pellets and gut contents. Our results do not support the supposed bias of dietary analyses based on faecal pellets. Indeed, soft-bodied prey and particularly insect larvae are often equally represented in faecal pellets and gut contents. Alternatively, soft bodied prey are represented in different proportions in gut contents and faecal pellets, but in some cases with higher proportions being observed in the gut contents, and in other cases with higher proportions in faecal samples. We conclude that faecal pellets can be a reliable source of information for dietary studies.

A comparison of faecal and stomach contents analysis in the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 715-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Neal ◽  
D. A. Pulkinen ◽  
B. D. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Correction Factor ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Microtus Pennsylvanicus ◽  
Meadow Vole ◽  
Paired Comparisons ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis

The food preferences of 14 specimens of Microtus pennsylvanicus were studied by the quantitative assessment of plant cuticular fragments in the stomachs and faeces. Paired comparisons of stomach with faecal observations indicated that sedges and dicotyledons were considerably underrated, grasses were generally slightly overrated, and unidentifiable fragments were considerably more abundant in the faecal samples. About half of the sedge and dicotyledon cuticular fragments appeared to be lost between the stomach and colon sampling sites. It was concluded that most of these fragments were rendered unidentifiable, but some were probably completely digested. Stomach and faecal samples provided similar estimates of food preferences when few sedges and dicotyledons were observed, but were markedly different when sedges and dicotyledons formed a substantial proportion of the diet. A simple correction factor was used to compensate for differences in the digestibility of the different food items. The corrected faecal observations were very similar to the stomach observations.

Heterogeneity in the distribution of Strongyloides ratti infective stages among the faecal pellets of rats

Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. HARVEY ◽  
S. PATERSON ◽  
M. E. VINEY
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Negative Binomial Distribution ◽  
Binomial Distribution ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Intestinal Nematode ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Accurate Quantification

The distribution of helminth parasites within their host population is usually overdispersed and can be described by the negative binomial distribution. The causes of this overdispersion are poorly understood, but heterogeneity in the distribution of infective stages within the environment has been implicated as a possible factor. Here we describe the distribution of infective stages of the rat intestinal nematode parasite Strongyloides ratti among the faecal pellets of its host. The distribution of infective stages between faecal pellets is overdispersed and well described by the negative binomial distribution. This overdispersion increases during the course of infection and occurs over a range of infection intensities. Overdispersion of nematode infective stages among faecal pellets may result in increased spatial heterogeneity of the infective stages in the environment and thus may contribute to the generation of overdispersion of adult parasitic stages. In addition, these findings raise important issues regarding the accurate quantification of helminth egg counts from faecal samples.

Effects of natural weathering conditions on faecal cortisol metabolite measurements in the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Evans ◽  
Edward J. Narayan ◽  
Jean-Marc Hero
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Exposure ◽  
Faecal Pellet ◽  
Natural Weathering ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Maximum Temperatures

Natural weathering conditions can influence faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) measurements in wildlife if fresh faeces cannot be collected immediately following defaecation. In this study, we evaluated this issue in a threatened Australian marsupial, the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis). Fresh (<12 h since defaecation) faecal samples (n = 19 pellets per bilby) were collected one morning from seven adult bilbies kept in captivity. One control faecal sample (Day 1) from each bilby was immediately frozen. The remaining faecal pellets were randomly positioned outdoors. Subsequently, we froze one faecal pellet every 24 h for 19 days. FCM levels in bilby faeces were quantified using an enzyme-immunoassay. Mean FCM levels showed variation (daily mean coefficients of variation [CV %]) of 56.83–171.65% over 19 days. Overall, FCM levels were affected by exposure time; however, multiple comparisons showed that no significant change in FCM occurred after environmental exposure (no significant difference in mean FCM between control (Day 1) with any of the exposure days (Days 2–19). Individuals and sex also affected FCM levels. We found no correlation between mean daily CVs with daily minimum–maximum temperatures or rainfall. Our results indicate that FCM in bilby faeces is fairly stable to long-term environmental exposure (19 days). In future, freshly excreted bilby faeces (where the sample maintains a distinct odour for 9–13 days) should be used to study FCM levels in wild bilbies.

Seasonal changes in the diet, food availability and food preference of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) in south-western Queensland

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley A. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Plant Component ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Prey Items

Diet and food availability of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), was examined at two sites and over two summer and two winter seasons in Astrebla Downs National Park in south-western Queensland. The presence of both invertebrate and plant material in almost all faecal pellets (99.6% and 98.5%, respectively) indicated that bilbies in south-western Queensland are omnivorous. The plant component of the bilby diet consisted predominantly of Dactyloctenium radulans seeds (frequency of occurrence: 94.4%). The major invertebrate prey items were Isop-tera (termites, 73.1%) and Formicidae (ants, 77.6%). The frequency of occurrence of invertebrates in faecal pellets was higher during summer than winter, but the frequency of occurrence of plants was relatively constant regardless of season. Within the invertebrate categories, Isoptera and Acrididae (grasshoppers) displayed the greatest seasonal difference, with a significantly higher proportion of both categories in the diet during summer than winter at both study sites. The availability of invertebrate prey items also varied with season, and for most taxa, frequency of oc-currence was significantly higher in summer than winter. In contrast, the frequency of occurrence of seeds and bulbs (Cyperus bulbosus) varied only slightly with season. Seasonal changes in food availability were reflected by variation in dietary composition; however, relative proportions of some dietary items differed from their proportional availability. Therefore, bilbies were considered to be qualitatively opportunistic; selecting more invertebrates when their apparent availability increased, but continually exploiting the available seeds and bulbs. Additionally, although bilbies appeared to have some preferences for particular food items, several food items were selected almost randomly, and therefore bilbies were also considered to be dietary generalists. Such an opportunistic feeding strategy is advantageous to an arid-zone species as it permits the continuous exploitation of food resources that are unpredictable in their availability both spatially and temporally.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document