CSIRO Publishing Books Journals About Us Shopping Cart You are here: Journals > Wildlife Research   
Wildlife Research
  Ecology, Management and Conservation in Natural and Modified Habitats
 
Search
 
 
  Advanced Search
   

Journal Home
About the Journal
Editorial Board
Contacts
Content
Online Early
Current Issue
Just Accepted
All Issues
Special Issues
Sample Issue
For Authors
General Information
Notice to Authors
Submit Article
Open Access
For Referees
General Information
Review Article
Annual Referee Index
For Subscribers
Subscription Prices
Customer Service
Print Publication Dates

 Early Alert
Subscribe to our email Early Alert or RSS feeds for the latest journal papers.

 Connect with us
facebook   youtube

 CSIRO Wildlife Research
All volumes of CSIRO Wildlife Research are online and available to subscribers of Wildlife Research.

 

Article << Previous     |     Next >>   Contents Vol 33(4)

Diet and feeding selectivity of common wombats

Murray C. Evans A B C, Cate Macgregor A, Peter J. Jarman A

A Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
B Present address: Environment ACT, PO Box 144, Lyneham, ACT 2602, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: murray.evans@act.gov.au
 
PDF (211 KB) $25
 Export Citation
 Print
  


Abstract

The seasonal diets and feeding selectivity of common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) in mountainous eucalypt forest, eucalypt woodland and pasture were determined using faecal analysis. Grass species contributed the largest proportion (95%) of epidermal fragment area in faecal pellets, with at least 20 species being eaten. The most abundant grasses in pellets in all seasons were the tough, wiry snow grasses (Poa sieberiana and P. labillardieri), with Microlaena stipoides comprising a substantial proportion of the diet in summer and autumn. Grass leaf was the most abundant plant part in pellets (81%), with grass stem and grass sheath comprising 11%. The seasonal proportion of grass seedhead in pellets varied from just traces during autumn and winter to a substantial component of the diet during summer (21% of epidermal fragments in pellets). Forbs comprised less than 1% of pellet material, and tree or shrub species were not detected in the diet. Feeding selectivity (and hence dietary niche breadth) varied seasonally; wombats become less selective in their feeding as plant diversity and abundance decreased. Positive selection was shown for monocots and negative selection for forbs. Grass species were eaten in broadly similar proportions to their abundances in the field, but with moderate to strong selection or rejection of a few species.

   
Subscriber Login
Username:
Password:  

    


 
Top  Email this page
 
Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help

CSIRO

© CSIRO 1996-2012