Fungal consumption by marsupials in southern Tasmania

Kelsey Elliott; Michael M. Driessen; Karl Vernes; Todd F. Elliott

doi:10.1071/PC24085

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Fungal consumption by marsupials in southern Tasmania

Kelsey Elliott ^A , Michael M. Driessen ^B , Karl Vernes ^C ^D and Todd F. Elliott

^C ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Integrative Studies Department, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC 28778, USA.

^B Conservation Science Section, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, PO Box 44, Hobart, Tas 7001, Australia.

^C Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

^D Natural History Museum, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: toddfelliott@gmail.com

Handling Editor: Tim Doherty

Pacific Conservation Biology 31, PC24085 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC24085

Submitted: 4 November 2024 Accepted: 19 January 2025 Published: 10 February 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

In Australia, many mycophagous (fungus feeding) mammals that disperse fungal spores are extinct or threatened throughout much of their historic range. Using live-trapping, we collected scats from eastern bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi), long-nosed potoroos (Potorous tridactylus), brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), eastern barred bandicoots (Perameles gunnii) and southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) at two sites in southern Tasmania. Microscopic analysis of scats revealed that all species in this study consumed fungi (over 24 fungal taxa), and the composition varied between some species and sites. This study highlights the need for additional research to gain insight into the ecological implications of spore dispersal by native marsupials.

Keywords: critical weight range mammals, diets, fungal ecology, fungivory, mammal ecology, mycophagy, mycorrhizal fungi, Potoroidae, spore dispersal, truffle ecology.

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