Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Australian Journal of Zoology Australian Journal of Zoology Society
Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > ZO > ZO05045
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 53(6)

Effects of terpenes and tannins on some physiological and biochemical parameters in two species of phalangerid possums (Marsupialia : Phalangeridae)

E. Burchfield A , N. S. Agar B and I. D. Hume A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

B School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: ianhume@bio.usyd.edu.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 53(6) 395-402 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO05045
Submitted: 3 August 2005  Accepted: 28 October 2005   Published: 6 January 2006

Abstract

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and the short-eared possum (T. caninus) are closely related but differ in several aspects of their life-history strategy, habitat and diet preferences. Both are generalist herbivores, but T. vulpecula consumes significant amounts of Eucalyptus spp. foliage, while T. caninus instead feeds mainly on Acacia spp. Eucalypt foliage is protected against herbivory by several classes of plant secondary compounds, including terpenes and tannins, while acacia foliage is protected mainly by tannins. We compared the responses of these two possum species to the addition of either sesquiterpenes or a hydrolysable tannin to a basal diet free of these compounds. In both species, sesquiterpenes tended to reduce food intake, and increased plasma concentrations of albumin and decreased concentrations of bicarbonate, the latter consistent with changes in acid–base balance. Tannic acid significantly depressed food intake in both species, and depressed plasma concentrations of total protein, albumin, glucose, sodium and chloride, consistent with dehydration. T. vulpecula increased urinary glucuronic acid excretion three-fold in response to dietary sesquiterpenes but there was no increase in T. caninus. T. vulpecula had five- to six-fold greater plasma concentrations of bilirubin, a potent antioxidant, than did T. caninus across all treatments. Results suggest that T. vulpecula can better withstand the detrimental effects of plant secondary compounds, consistent with its wider spectrum of foods and broader habitat preferences.


Acknowledgments

We thank Naz Soran for expert technical assistance, Michele Thums for field assistance, Damien Higgins for his expertise in blood sampling, and Dieter Hochuli for statistical advice. The animals were held under the provisions of Licence B2347 from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales and the Animal Ethics Committee of the University of Sydney.


References

Agar, N. S. , Ogawa, E. , O’Callaghan, S. S. , and Hume, I. D. (1998). The effect of Eucalyptus oils on the erythrocytes of koalas. Comparative Haematology International 8, 225–229.
Bartlett M. S. (1937). Some examples of statistical methods of research in agriculture and applied biology. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A (General) Suppl. 4, 137–170.

Beutler E. (1975). ‘Red Cell Metabolism: A Manual of Biochemical Methods.’ 2nd edn. (Grune and Stratton: New York.)

Blumenkrantz, N. , and Absoe-Hansen, G. (1973). New method for quantitative determination of uronic acids. Analytical Biochemistry 54, 484–489.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Carlson G. P. (1997). Fluid, electrolyte, and acid–base balance. In ‘Clinical Biochemistry of Domestic Animals’. (Eds J. J. Kaneko, J. W. Harvey and M. L. Bruss.) pp. 485–516. (Academic Press: New York.)

Cork, S. J. , and Krockenberger, A. K. (1991). Methods and pitfalls of extracting condensed tannins and other phenolics from plants: insights from investigations of Eucalyptus leaves. Journal of Chemical Ecology 17, 123–134.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Goering H. K., and Van Soest P. J. (1970). ‘Forage Fiber Analyses (Apparatus, Reagents, Procedures, and Some Applications).’ Agriculture Handbook No. 379. (United States Department of Agriculture: Washington, DC.)

Harvey M. E. (1991). The effect of Eucalyptus essential oils on digestive performance and glucuronic acid excretion in the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). B.Sc.(Honours) Thesis, University of Sydney.

Hayssen, V. , and Lacey, R. C. (1985). Basal metabolic rates in mammals: taxonomic differences in the allometry of BMR and body mass. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 81A, 741–754.
How R. A. (1978). Population strategies of four species of Australian ‘possums’. In ‘The Ecology of Arboreal Folivores’. (Ed. G. G. Montgomery.) pp. 305–313. (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, DC.)

Hughes, A. (1970). A modified receiver for heavier than water essential oils. Chemistry & Industry 48, 1536.
Hume I. D. (1999). ‘Marsupial Nutrition.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Irlbeck, N. A. , and Hume, I. D. (2003). The role of Acacia in the diets of Australian marsupials – a review. Australian Mammalogy 25, 121–134.
Kerle J. A. (1984). Variation in the ecology of Trichosurus: its adaptive significance. In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 115–128. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Kruskal, W. H. , and Wallis, W. A. (1952). Use of ranks in one-criterion variance analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association 47, 583–621.
Moore B. D., Wallis I. R., Marsh K. J., and Foley W. J. (2004). The role of nutrition in the conservation of the marsupial folivores of eucalypt forests. In ‘Conservation of Australia’s Forest Fauna’. 2nd edn. (Ed. D. Lunney.) pp. 549–575. (Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales: Sydney.)

Owen, W. H. , and Thomson, J. A. (1965). Notes on the comparative ecology of the common brushtail and mountain possums in eastern Australia. Victorian Naturalist 82, 216–217.
Seebeck J. H., Warneke R. M., and Baxter B. J. (1984). Diet of the bobuck, Trichosurus caninus (Ogilby) (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae) in a mountain forest in Victoria. In ‘Possums and Gliders’. (Eds A. P. Smith and I. D. Hume.) pp. 145–154. (Australian Mammal Society: Sydney.)

Sokal R. R., and Rohlf F. J. (1995). ‘Biometry.’ 3rd edn. (W. H. Freeman: New York.)

Sorensen, J. S. , McLister, J. D. , and Dearing, M. D. (2005a). Plant secondary metabolites compromise the energy budgets of specialist and generalist mammalian herbivores. Ecology 86, 125–139.
Southwell I. A. (1978). Essential oil content of koala food trees. In ‘The Koala. Proceedings of the Taronga Symposium’. (Ed. T. J. Bergin.) pp. 62–74. (Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales: Sydney.)

Stryer L. (1995). ‘Biochemistry.’ 4th edn. (W. H. Freeman: New York.)

Tomaro, M. L. , and Batle, A. M. (2002). Bilirubin: its role in cytoprotection against oxidative stress. International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 34, 216–220.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Underwood A. J. (1997). ‘Experiments in Ecology.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Van Soest, P. J. , Robertson, J. B. , and Lewis, B. A. (1991). Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74, 3583–3597.
| PubMed | Zar J. H. (1984). ‘Biostatistical Analysis.’ 2nd edn. (Prentice-Hall: New Jersey.)