Gut passage time and viability of seeds consumed by Australian marsupials
Gabrielle Beca
A C , Bryony Palmer A , Leonie E. Valentine A , Todd E. Erickson A B and Richard J. Hobbs A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
B Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, WA 6005, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: gabrielle.beca@research.uwa.edu.au
Australian Mammalogy 43(3) 363-367 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM20063
Submitted: 27 July 2020 Accepted: 29 October 2020 Published: 19 November 2020
Abstract
Many Australian mammals consume seeds, but their role in seed dispersal has not been well explored. Here, we investigated the mean retention time and the postconsumption germination capacity of Australian seeds (Acacia acuminata, Dodonaea viscosa and Gastrolobium calycinum) likely to be consumed by quenda (Isoodon fusciventer) and woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi). Mean excretion times were 14 h for quenda and 24 h for woylies, but some seeds were retained in their digestive passages for up to 39.5 and 55.5 h, respectively. Viable seeds of all plant species were retrieved from both species’ scats and only G. calycinum seeds ingested by quenda had a significantly higher germination percentage (62%) than control seeds (34%). Our results show that viable seeds are deposited in the scats of quenda and woylies, indicating that these species may play a role in seed dispersal.
Keywords: endozoochory, granivory, peramelid, potoroid, quenda, seed dispersal, seed germination, woylie.
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