Which trees do wild common brushtail possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) prefer? Problems and solutions in scaling laboratory findings to diet selection in the field
Scrivener, Nilla; Johnson, Christopher; Wallis, Ian; Takasaki, Midori; Foley, William; Krockenberger, Andrew
Description
In this study, we examined whether a group of plant secondary metabolites - the formylated phloroglucinol compounds (FPCs), which are known to deter feeding on eucalypt foliage by captive marsupial folivores - influence feeding by wild common brushtail possums. There was at least a six-fold range of FPC concentrations in the foliage of individual trees within a single eucalypt species. Possums largely avoided trees with high FPC concentrations. While some trees with low FPCs were used heavily,...[Show more]
Collections | ANU Research Publications |
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Date published: | 2004 |
Type: | Journal article |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1885/75729 |
Source: | Evolutionary Ecology Research |
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