Premium
Dispersal of an introduced shrub ( Crataegus monogyna ) by the Brush‐tailed Possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula )
Author(s) -
BASS DAVID A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1990.tb01531.x
Subject(s) - shrub , biology , biological dispersal , seed dispersal , crataegus , botany , brush , ecology , population , demography , sociology , electrical engineering , engineering
The Brush‐tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula eats the fleshy fruits of the introduced shrub Crataegus monogyna and defaecates intact seeds at least 0–50 m away. Viability of seeds recovered from faeces was >73%. comparable to the viability of fresh seeds (87.6%). Seed dispersal by possums has been largely neglected and may have important implications for invasion by woody weeds in Australasia.