Food preferences and seed selection in two species of Australian desert rodent

Murray, BR; Dickman, CR

Food preferences and seed selection in two species of Australian desert rodent

Murray, BR

Dickman, CR

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Wildlife Research, 1994, 21 (6), pp. 647 - 655
Issue Date:: 1994-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Murray, BR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4734-5976	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dickman, CR	en_US
dc.date.issued	1994-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Wildlife Research, 1994, 21 (6), pp. 647 - 655	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1035-3712	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/21914
dc.description.abstract	Food preferences of two species of Australian desert rodents, the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) and the sandy inland mouse (Pseudomys hermannsburgensis), were investigated in cafeteria trials. Both species showed strong preference for invertebrate material (a beetle, Tenebrio molitor) over the seeds and stems of spinifex (Triodia basedowii), and fungus (Tulostoma sp.). This contrasts with previous reports that these rodents are granivores, and suggests instead that they may be omnivorous. Further investigation of the basis for food choice was carried out in a series of seed preference trials, and provided some indication that the water content of food items may underlie diet selection. We suggest that the ability of native rodents to eat a broad range of food types, particularly invertebrates, has promoted survival in arid regions that have been subjected to disturbance since European settlement. © 1994, CSIRO. All rights reserved.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Wildlife Research	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1071/WR9940647	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Ecology	en_US
dc.title	Food preferences and seed selection in two species of Australian desert rodent	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	6	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	21	en_US
utslib.for	050101 Ecological Impacts of Climate Change	en_US
utslib.for	050103 Invasive Species Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	6	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	21	en_US

Abstract:

Food preferences of two species of Australian desert rodents, the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) and the sandy inland mouse (Pseudomys hermannsburgensis), were investigated in cafeteria trials. Both species showed strong preference for invertebrate material (a beetle, Tenebrio molitor) over the seeds and stems of spinifex (Triodia basedowii), and fungus (Tulostoma sp.). This contrasts with previous reports that these rodents are granivores, and suggests instead that they may be omnivorous. Further investigation of the basis for food choice was carried out in a series of seed preference trials, and provided some indication that the water content of food items may underlie diet selection. We suggest that the ability of native rodents to eat a broad range of food types, particularly invertebrates, has promoted survival in arid regions that have been subjected to disturbance since European settlement. © 1994, CSIRO. All rights reserved.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/21914