The eating of seedheads by species of Macropodidae.

Abstract

Macropodids have usually been considered to be predominantly folivorous. This study suggests that this assumption is not always true. A review of appropriate studies shows that several species occasionally eat substantial proportions of seeds, seedheads or fruit. In particular, monocot seedheads form over 10% of the intake of some species, seasonally or irregularly. This study investigated that phenomenon by analysing the occurrence of monocot seedhead in the diet of the Black-striped Wallaby Macropus dorsalis. The wallabies consumed large proportions of monocot seedheads, in summer more than in other seasons. Grass species differed in the apparent acceptability of their seedheads. Individual faecal pellets differed greatly in the proportions of seedhead epidermis that they contained. Seedheads tend to be abundantly available on the plants only briefly in Australian vegetation associations. While available they may be of great importance to the resource ecology of some macropodid populations. Eating seedheads may have been important in the evolution of grazing in the relatively small macropodids.