The koala population in southwest Queensland is a large low-density population of important conservation value which is vulnerable to habitat loss, drought and climate change. The nutrient quality of Eucalyptus food trees favoured by koalas is an important factor influencing the survival of the koala on a low-nutrient-and-high-toxin diet. This study investigated the relationship between the diet of koalas, and food tree characteristics. Vegetation surveys, cuticle analysis and leaf chemical analysis were conducted in 14 study sites in southwest Queensland during the winter of 2010. Koala diet composition was different to eucalypt tree species availability, with Eucalyptus camaldulensis (56.5%) the most important tree species, E. coolabah (15.4%) and E. populnea (12.4%) of secondary preference. Leaf chemicals (moisture, total nitrogen, total phenolics, and a nutrition index = (moisture*nitrogen) / total phenolics) were significantly related to tree species, surface water availability, soil type and proximity to major creeks. Only leaf moisture was significantly correlated with koala food tree species preference. The presence of surface water appears to be a crucial characteristic of suitable koala habitat while riparian habitats dominant by E. camaldulensis are critical for conserving the koala populations in southwest Queensland.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research-Article|
September 07 2012
The dietary preferences of koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus, in southwest Queensland Open Access
Huiying Wu;
Huiying Wu
1
School of Biological Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4067
Search for other works by this author on:
Clive McAlpine;
Clive McAlpine
2
Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4067
Search for other works by this author on:
Leonie Seabrook
Leonie Seabrook
2
Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4067
Search for other works by this author on:
Australian Zoologist (2012) 36 (1): 93–102.
Citation
Huiying Wu, Clive McAlpine, Leonie Seabrook; The dietary preferences of koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus, in southwest Queensland. Australian Zoologist 1 January 2012; 36 (1): 93–102. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2012.009
Download citation file:

How do RZS NSW members access the full text papers?
If you are a current RZS NSW member (with publications), please access the full text of papers by visiting https://www.rzsnsw.org.au/Australian-Zoologist-access-(Members-Only) (you will be asked to log in to RZS NSW). Do not log in at the top of this current page for access.
Citing articles via
A Catalogue of the Thylacine captured on film
Stephen R. Sleightholme, Cameron R. Campbell
Parma wallabies: a history of translocations and reintroductions
Samaa Kalsia, Melanie Edwards, George Wilson
Appropriate use of acoustics for surveying koalas and interpreting habitat use: a rebuttal to Smith and Pile (2024)
Brad Law, Leroy Gonsalves, Traecey Brassil, Isobel Kerr
Principles and practices for biodiversity conservation and restoration forestry: a 30 year case study on the Victorian montane ash forests and the critically endangered Leadbeater's Possum
David Lindenmayer, David Blair, Lachlan McBurney, Sam Banks, John Stein, Richard Hobbs, Gene Likens, Jerry Franklin
Continued use of artificial roosts by the Eastern Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus megaphyllus Grey, 1834 (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in Brisbane Forest Park, south-east Queensland
Břeněk Michálek, Petr Šrámek, Elizabeth R. Williams, Vanessa Gorecki