diet macropus giganteus
86208108
Tooth wear in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and its potential influence on diet selection, digestion and population parameters
As teeth wear in eastern and western grey kangaroos, the pattern of enamel ridges changes. This affects the amount of available cutting edges and consequently the masticatory efficiency. These kangaroos also have molar progression. There is evidence for the independence of rates of tooth wear and molar progression, and variation is found in the maximum amount of wear attained by teeth both within and between populations. This variation has the potential to affect diet selection, digestion and population parameters.
Clare Mcarthur Gordon Sanson
84237592
Studies on the Nutrition of Macropodine Marsupials. 4. Digestion in the Stomach and the Intestine of Macropus Giganteus, Thylogale Thetis and Macropus Eugenii.
4. Digestion in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine of the red necked pademelon (Thylogale thetis) the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) and the eastern grey kangaroo (M. giganteus) fed on chopped lucerne hay freely was estimated in a slaughter experiment by reference to chromic sesquioxide added to the diet. Concentrations of volatile fatty acids and ammonia, and pH, indicated that microbial activity in the forestomach and large intestine (caecum and proximal colon) was extensive. In all 3 species virtually all of the soluble carbohydrate, 17% of apparently digestible crude protein, 62 to 65% of apparently digestible organic matter and 82 to 85% of digestible acid detergent fibre were digested in the forestomach. There was a progressive loss of dietary substrates along the length of the forestomach; readily fermentable carbohydrate was digested largely in the sacciform forestomach and cranial region of the tubiform forestomach, and the rate of apparent loss of organic matter decreased along the tubiform forestomach.
D W Dellow I D Hume
85310080
Distribution of Feeding Activity of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Macropus Giganteus, in Coastal Lowland of South East Queensland.
In an area of coastal lowland managed by the Forestry Department of Queensland, habitats differed in the density, height and species composition of their undergrowth. In natural habitats Themeda australis made up the bulk of the diet of M. giganteus, but in firebreaks a range of grasses was eaten. Kangaroos actively fed only in habitats with open undergrowth, and in these habitats the density of faecal pellets correlated with the abundance of food present. Dense undergrowth restricted use of habitat even for movement. The abundance of food and the height and density of the undergrowth in contiguous habitat influenced the abundance of sightings on firebreaks. Firebreaks create a new source of abundant food. Prescribed burning attracts kangaroos to habitats by opening up dense undergrowth and encouraging the growth of grass.
R J F Taylor
91334792
The association between diet of periurban wild dogs and zoonotic pathogen carriage
Established wildlife populations in periurban environments provide an opportunity to spread zoonotic pathogens within human associated environments. Characteristics of prevalent pathogens harboured by periurban wild dogs suggest that dietary preference could influence their infection status; however, data comparing diet composition and pathogen presence are rarely available. We analysed the stomach contents of 170 periurban wild dogs (Canis familiaris) for the occurrence and biomass of prey items, and then associated this with their known infection status of key zoonotic pathogens. The staple prey items detected were mammalian prey species, most commonly swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) (20.6 6.1% canines (C. familiaris) (prey) (10.6 4.6% eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) (10.0 4.5% and deer (various species) (10.0 4.5% Unidentified bird species (10.0 4.5% were also common. Wild dogs that were positive for Echinococcus granulosus were significantly more likely to have consumed swamp wallabies. These findings demonstrate the importance of managing both the definitive and intermediate stages of E. granulosus, and suggest that diet correlates with pathogen presence in some cases. This information may assist the development of specific strategies to manage zoonotic pathogens of wild dogs, which are currently lacking.
Lana Harriott Matthew N Gentle Rebecca J Traub R J Soares Magalhaes Rowland N Cobbold
90624117
Interspecific and intraspecific relationships between body mass and diet quality in a macropodid community
The Jarman Bell principle seeks to explain why smaller herbivore species tend to select higher quality forage (high protein and high fiber digestibility) than larger herbivore species. This principle may also provide insight into intraspecific differences in resource use in species with pronounced sexual size dimorphism. We examined the relationship between body mass and diet quality in a sexually dimorphic macropodid community comprising larger (17 55 kg) eastern and western gray kangaroos, Macropus giganteus and M. fuliginosus, and smaller (7 23 kg) red necked and swamp wallabies, M. rufogriseus and Wallabia bicolor. We determined diet composition through microhistological analysis of fecal pellets, and then assessed diet quality by measuring available nitrogen and fiber (cellulose and hemicellulose) in the plants consumed. We predicted that the smaller species and smaller individuals within species would consume the highest quality diets. The concentration of fiber consumed differed significantly among species; available nitrogen concentration did not. As predicted, the lowest fiber diet was consumed by a wallaby (small species) and the highest fiber diet was consumed by a kangaroo (large species) Contrary to predictions, we detected no sex based differences in diet quality. However, large male red necked wallabies consumed diets containing harder to digest fiber than small male red necked wallabies. Body mass and diet type were related between and within species. However, body mass did not account for all differences in diet quality between species; swamp wallabies consumed less fiber than similarly sized red necked wallabies. These differences are likely related to other adaptations that allow swamp wallabies to better tolerate tannin rich browse dominated diets.
Journal of Mammalogy
Sarah Garnick Julian Di Stefano Ben D Moore Naomi E Davis Mark A Elgar Graeme Coulson
89189673
Do body size, diet type or residence time explain habitat use in a vertebrate herbivore community?
Abstract. Many theories attempt to explain patterns of community organisation among large herbivores. We explored the role of body size, diet type and residence time on habitat use in a community comprising four metatherians (western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus; eastern grey kangaroo, M. giganteus; red necked wallaby, Notamacropus rufogriseus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor) and two eutherians (red deer, Cervus elaphus; European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus) in south eastern Australia. We used camera traps to estimate habitat occupancy, quantified habitat specialisation using relative entropy, and ran regressions using percentage grass consumed, log(mass) and log(time at site) as predictor variables and relative entropy as the response. If body size influenced habitat use, we predicted smaller species would occupy fewer habitats. If diet type influenced habitat use, we predicted intermediate feeders would use more habitats. If the time that a species had been present at a site predicted community organisation, newer species would use more habitats. None of these theories explained habitat use in our community. Red deer used a narrower range of habitats than expected, perhaps due to the poor suitability of habitats available in the Grampians. While interactions between our hypotheses are likely to be important, the body size model deserves further attention in this community.
Australian Journal of Zoology
Sarah Garnick Julian Di Stefano Mark A Elgar Graeme Coulson
84214515
Pest Responses to Odors From Predators Fed a Diet of Target Species Conspecifics and Heterospecifics
Abstract Research into the use of predator odor based repellents as a management tool has gained momentum during the past 30 years. Some studies have suggested that odors from a predator whose diet includes the target species are more effective than odors from a predator that does not consume the species. To evaluate this management tool in the Australian context and to determine the effect, if any, of predator diet on odor repellence, we tested eutherian and metatherian, predator fecal odors on phylogenetically separated pest species that currently occur in Australia. We evaluated fecal odors from tigers (Panthera tigris) and Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) as repellents for goats (Capra hircus) and eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) We fed tigers and Tasmanian devils 2 diets: one of goat and one of eastern grey kangaroo. The test fecal odors were more effective than a control odor of carrier material and solvent at deterring goats (P 0.001) and kangaroos (P 0.02) from food. Tiger fecal odor was more effective than Tasmanian devil odor in deterring both goats (P 0.001) and kangaroos (P 0.03) We observed a decrease in the number of feeding events for goats when they were exposed to the odor from a tiger fed goat compared with all other predator diet combinations (P 0.001) We also observed a decrease in feeding events for kangaroos when exposed to the odor from a tiger fed kangaroo compared with all other predator diet combinations. We observed signs of desensitization to the test odors in goats and habituation to the test odors in kangaroos over the experimental period. A better understanding of the factors involved in desensitization and habituation may increase the effectiveness of fecal odor based repellents as a humane and nonlethal management tool for managers.
Tarnya E Cox Peter John Murray Graham P Hall Xiuhua Li
84983548
Temporal, spatial and individual variation in the diet of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in central New South Wales
This study describes temporal, spatial and individual variation in the diet of 255 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) collected from agricultural land in central New South Wales from July 1994 to November 1996. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) sheep (Ovis aries) eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and invertebrates were the most important food items overall. Significant seasonal variations, and sex and age differences between foxes occurred in the consumption of some food types. Some temporal synchrony was also evident, with different individuals often eating similar foods on the same night. This may have been related to moonlight. On full moon nights, foxes ate rabbits and small mammals significantly less often than during other moon phases. The management implications of variation in diet are discussed.
Robyn Molsher E J Gifford J C Mcilroy
52071130
Effects of climate on dental mesowear of extant koalas and two broadly distributed kangaroos throughout their geographic range
Dental mesowear analysis can classify the diets of extant herbivores into general categories such as grazers, mixed feeders, and browsers by using the gross wear patterns found on individual teeth. This wear presumably results from both abrasion (food on tooth wear) and attrition (tooth on tooth wear) of individual teeth. Mesowear analyses on extinct ungulates have helped generate hypotheses regarding the dietary ecology of mammals across space and time, and recent developments have expanded the use of dental mesowear analysis to herbivorous marsupial taxa including kangaroos, wombats, possums, koalas, and relatives. However, the diet of some of the most ubiquitous kangaroos (e.g. Macropus giganteus) along with numerous other species cannot be successfully classified by dental mesowear analysis. Further, it is not well understood whether climate variables (including precipitation, relative humidity, and temperature) are correlated with dental mesowear variables including various measures of shape and relief. Here, we examine the relationship between dental mesowear variables (including traditional methods scoring the sharpest cusp and a new potential assessment of multiple cusps) and climate variables in the grazers/mixed feeders Macropus giganteus and Macropus fuliginosus, and the obligate browser Phascolarctos cinereus. We find that dental mesowear of mandibular teeth is capable of differentiating the dietary habits of koalas and the kangaroo species. Furthermore, both Macropus giganteus and Phascolarctos cinereus exhibit mesowear correlated with mean minimum temperature, while Macropus fuliginosus dental mesowear is unaffected by temperature, despite significant differences in mean minimum and mean maximum temperature across their distribution (and in the specimens examined here) Contrary to expectations that individuals from drier regions would have blunter and lower relief teeth, dental mesowear is unrelated to proxies of relative aridity including mean annual precipitation and relative humidity. Collectively, dental mesowear in these marsupials is related to feeding behavior with increased wear in cooler regions (in Macropus giganteus and Phascolarctos cinereus) potentially related to more or different food resources consumed.
PloS one
Larisa R G DeSantis Jagger Alexander Eva Marie Biedron Phyllis S Johnson A Schildberg Frank John M Martin Lindsay F G Williams
84999844
A Comparison of Stomach and Fecal Samples for Diet Analysis of Grey Kangaroos
In an experiment with four captive eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, microscopic analysis of both stomach contents and faeces did not reflect the ingested dry weight proportion of most plant species in a fed diet. However, close agreement was obtained by correcting for unidentifiable microscopic fragments of plants. This suggests that differential digestion may not be as important an artefact of microscopic diet analysis as previously reported. Provided corrections are made, faecal analysis may be as reliable as stomach content analysis for describing relative proportions of plant species in the diet of macropodids. In contrast, differences in proportions of plant species between stomach and faecal samples from free ranging western grey kangaroos, Macropus fuliginosus, suggest that faecal analysis may not be suitable for quantitative studies of diet selection (comparisons of plant species proportions in the diet with species proportions in the field) in areas with heterogeneous vegetation. In these situations, samples of stomach contents are considered more appropriate.
Gl Norbury