Validation of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to estimate the potential intake of Eucalyptus foliage by folivorous marsupials

Abstract

We validated an existing model of food intake by captive common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), a folivorous marsupial, by feeding foliage from 18 individual Eucalyptus polyanthemos trees and measuring dry matter intake. Near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectra of a sample of each foliage were recorded and compared against a previously derived model relating food intake in common ringtails and NIR spectra. We found excellent agreement between the predicted and measured food intake, with the standard error of prediction being 3.6 g kg(body mass)^–0.75 day^–1. NIR spectroscopy is a suitable tool for modelling complex attributes such as potential feeding rates of mammals. This makes it theoretically possible to remotely sense critical nutritional determinants of animal habitat on a landscape scale.