Feeding Strategies of the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia-Bicolor, on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland .2. Effects of Seasonal-Changes in Diet Quality on Intestinal Morphology

Abstract

The effect of seasonal changes in diet quality on the alimentary tract of the swamp wallaby, W. bicolor, on North Stradbroke Island was investigated by examining 25 road-killed animals. To allow for variation in body weight, allometric analyses of both macroscopic and microscopic dimensions of the intestine were used and differences were tested by analysis of covariance. W. bicolor on a high fibre diet in spring and autumn had significantly shorter villi compared to those on a low fibre diet in winter and summer, suggesting that the intestinal villi of W. bicolor are highly labile and respond rapidly to changes in diet quality.