| comparative lactation in two species of rat-kangaroo (marsupialia). | 1. milk composition and energy content was measured in two related marsupials, bettongia gaimardi and potorous tridactylus. 2. although protein content was consistently higher in bettong milk, lactational trends in both species are similar to those reported for other marsupials. 3. the faster relative growth rate of the bettong may be correlated with the increased protein and a higher milk intake. | 1988 | 2901316 |
| eimeria spp. (apicomplexa:eimeriidae) parasitic in the rat-kangaroos hypsiprymnodon moschatus, potorous tridactylus, aepyprymnus rufescens and bettongia gaimardi (marsupialia:potoroidae). | | 1988 | 3225116 |
| plasma progesterone levels in the pregnant female rat-kangaroo (bettongia gaimardi). | plasma progesterone levels were measured in female bettongs (small macropodid marsupials) under two natural regimes: (1) during "delayed" gestation (initiated by removal of pouch young, rpy) and (2) during the pregnancy prior to pouch vacation when a young still occupies the pouch (i.e., during lactation). basal levels of progesterone were 0.15-0.5 ng/ml. there was a transient peak of progesterone (0.7 ng/ml) early in gestation at day 4 rpy. after day 6 rpy, progesterone levels remained elevated ... | 1992 | 1398011 |
| health evaluation of free-ranging eastern bettongs (bettongia gaimardi) during translocation for reintroduction in australia. | sixty (19 male, 41 female) free-ranging adult eastern bettongs (bettongia gaimardi) were captured in tasmania and translocated to the australian capital territory between july 2011 and september 2012 for reintroduction into fenced, predator-proof reserves. the bettongs were anesthetized for physical examination and screened for selected diseases during translocation. reference ranges for hematologic and biochemical parameters were determined. two bettongs had detectable antibodies to the alphahe ... | 2014 | 24484484 |
| prevalence and clinical significance of herpesvirus infection in populations of australian marsupials. | herpesviruses have been reported in several marsupial species, but molecular classification has been limited to four herpesviruses in macropodids, a gammaherpesvirus in two antechinus species (antechinus flavipes and antechinus agilis), a gammaherpesvirus in a potoroid, the eastern bettong (bettongia gaimardi) and two gammaherpesviruses in koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). in this study we examined a range of australian marsupials for the presence of herpesviruses using molecular and serological ... | 2015 | 26222660 |
| milk composition and growth in wild and captive tasmanian bettongs, bettongia gaimardi (marsupialia). | changes in milk composition (total solids, carbohydrate, protein, lipid and calculated gross energy content) during lactation in three groups of tasmanian bettongs ( bettongia gaimardi): free-living animals (wild group), captive animals offered a diet of dry dog food and apples ad libitum (ad lib group), and captive animals fed restricted amounts of the same diet (maintenance group) were related to growth rates (measured as body mass and head length) of their young. there were no significant dif ... | 2003 | 12624650 |
| molecular identification of uncoupling proteins (ucp2 and ucp3) and absence of ucp1 in the marsupial tasmanian bettong, bettongia gaimardi. | this study has identified the expression of uncoupling proteins in a marsupial using molecular techniques. the tasmanian bettong, bettongia gaimardi, increases non-shivering thermogenesis (nst) in response to cold exposure and norepinephrine, although previous studies have been unable to demonstrate the presence of brown adipose tissue or uncoupling protein 1 (ucp1). this study used molecular techniques to confirm the absence of ucp1 as well as ascertain if this species expresses ucp2 and/or ucp ... | 2003 | 12524035 |
| nonshivering thermogenesis in a marsupial (the tasmanian bettong bettongia gaimardi) is not attributable to brown adipose tissue. | the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi, a marsupial) is a rat-kangaroo that increases nonshivering thermogenesis (nst) in response to norepinephrine (ne). this study attempted to assess whether brown adipose tissue (bat), a specialized thermogenic effector, is involved in nst in the bettong. regulatory nst, indicated by resting oxygen consumption (vo2) of the whole body, was measured under conscious conditions at 20 degrees c with various stimuli: cold (4 degrees -5 degrees c) or warm (25 deg ... | 1999 | 10603333 |
| vasoconstrictors alter oxygen, lactate, and glycerol metabolism in the perfused hindlimb of a rat kangaroo. | the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi) is a small marsupial rat kangaroo without detectable brown adipose tissue (bat). the hindlimb was perfused with constant flow at 25 degrees c after cannulation under anesthesia of the femoral artery and vein to one hindlimb. norepinephrine (ne, 25 nm-2.5 microm) and vasopressin (vp, 10 nm-0.1 microm) each increased perfusion pressure, oxygen consumption (vo2), and lactate and glycerol efflux of the perfused hindlimb. ne-mediated increases in vo2 and the ... | 1995 | 7771582 |
| klossiella (apicomplexa, klossiellidae) in petaurid and macropodid marsupials in australia. | six new species of klossiella are described in the kidneys of australian marsupials: klossiella rufogrisei in bennett's wallaby, macropus rufogriseus; klossiella rufi in the red kangaroo, macropus rufus; klossiella thylogale in the red-bellied or tasmanian pademelon, thylogale billardierii; klossiella beveridgei in the spectacled hare-wallaby, lagorchestes conspicillatus; klossiella bettongiae in the tasmanian bettong, bettongia gaimardi; and klossiella schoinobatis in the petaurid greater glide ... | 1985 | 3930707 |
| shifting faunal baselines through the quaternary revealed by cave fossils of eastern australia. | fossils from caves in the manning karst region, new south wales, australia have long been known, but until now have never been assessed for their palaeontological significance. here, we report on late quaternary faunal records from eight caves in the region. extinct pleistocene megafaunal taxa are recognised in two systems and include giant echidnas (tachyglossidae gen. et sp. indet.), devils (sarcophilus laniarius), koalas (phascolarctos stirtoni), marsupial 'lions' (thylacoleo carnifex), and k ... | 2019 | 30697475 |
| sequence analyses at mitochondrial and nuclear loci reveal a novel theileria sp. and aid in the phylogenetic resolution of piroplasms from australian marsupials and ticks. | the order piroplasmida encompasses two main families: babesiidae and theileriidae, containing tick-borne pathogens of veterinary and medical importance worldwide. while only three genera (babesia, cytauxzoon and theileria) comprising piroplasm parasites are currently recognised, phylogenetic studies at the 18s rrna (18s) gene suggest that these organisms represent at least ten lineages, one of which comprises the relatively unique and highly diverse theileria spp. from australian marsupials and ... | 2019 | 31851687 |
| ecosystem engineering by digging mammals: effects on soil fertility and condition in tasmanian temperate woodland. | many small- and medium-sized mammals dig for their food. this activity potentially affects soil condition and fertility. digging is well developed especially in australian mammals, many of which have recently become rare or extinct. we measured the effects of digging by mammals on soil in a tasmanian temperate dry sclerophyll forest with an intact mammal community. the density of diggings was 5812 ha-1, affecting 11% of the forest floor. diggings were created at a rate of around 3113 diggings ha ... | 2019 | 30800338 |
| returning a lost process by reintroducing a locally extinct digging marsupial. | the eastern bettong (bettongia gaimardi), a medium-sized digging marsupial, was reintroduced to a predator-free reserve after 100 years of absence from the australian mainland. the bettong may have the potential to restore temperate woodlands degraded by a history of livestock grazing, by creating numerous small disturbances by digging. we investigated the digging capacity of the bettong and compared this to extant fauna, to answer the first key question of whether this species could be consider ... | 2019 | 31179166 |
| laminar and non-laminar patterns of acetylcholinesterase activity in the marsupial lateral geniculate nucleus. | acetylcholinesterase (ache) distribution in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (lgd) of 3 polyprotodont and 3 diprotodont marsupials has been compared with the cytoarchitecture and, as appropriate, with retinal terminal bands (rtbs) as demonstrated by tracers injected into the vitreous body. in this series those polyprotodont marsupials showing only partial segregation of retinal input (virginia opossum and tasmanian devil), display the least cell laminar differentiation. in them ache stainin ... | 1989 | 2731033 |
| testosterone levels in the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi). | the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi) is a small macropodid marsupial that is a continuous breeder. this study has partitioned testosterone into three fractions that vary to some extent throughout the year, coinciding with peaks and troughs in breeding, body weight, and testes volume. the three fractions determined were free, albumin bound, and sex hormone binding globulin (shbg) bound testosterone. concentrations of both albumin and shbg varied significantly throughout the year with peaks ... | 1991 | 1778401 |
| maternal recognition of pregnancy in the tasmanian bettong, bettongia gaimardi (marsupialia: macropodoidea). | the fetus of the marsupial bettongia gaimardi, the tasmanian bettong, has both morphological and cytological effects upon the gravid uterus. development of diapausing embryos or the initiation of oestrous cycles was achieved by removal of the pouch young (rpy). increases in the diameter of the uterine basal endometrial glands were noted 3 and 4 days later. an animal at day 5 after rpy had glands in the gravid uterus that were significantly larger than those in the non-gravid uterus (p less than ... | 1992 | 1585009 |
| detection of hypogeous fungi by tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi: marsupialia; macropodoidea). | the ability of tasmanian bettongs (bettongia gaimardi) to locate hypogeous fungi (their main diet) was tested in a controlled laboratory situation. bettongs dug directly over buried fungi significantly more often than they did over buried glass marbles or over disturbed soil. this ability was not enhanced as they gained experience. bettongs dug more often over buried filter paper onto which fungus extract was absorbed than over control papers, and showed no discrimination between the outer and i ... | 1994 | 24242315 |
| interactions between fire, mycophagous mammals, and dispersal of ectromycorrhizal fungi in eucalyptus forests. | several species of marsupials in eucalyptus forests in australia feed predominantly on the sporocarps of hypogeous fungi. this feeding is apparently beneficial to the fungi as it results in dispersal of spores. as these fungi are in almost all cases ectomycorrhiza-forming species, mycophagy by mammals may play an important role in the maintenance of mycorrhizal symbiosis in eucalyptus forests. fire is frequent and a dominant ecological factor in these forests, and this study tested the hypothesi ... | 1995 | 28307662 |
| the association between basal body temperature, plasma progesterone and the oestrous cycle in a marsupial, the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi). | basal body temperature, quantitative changes in vaginal smears and plasma concentrations of progesterone were measured during a number of oestrous cycles in tasmanian bettongs (bettongia gaimardi). these methods of monitoring the reproductive cycle were compared in an attempt to find a technique that allowed non-stressful assessment of the reproductive condition of the bettongs. telemetric measurement of basal body temperature showed that there was a diurnal variation of 1.3 degrees c, typical o ... | 1996 | 8667348 |
| effects of bromocriptine on lactation and plasma progesterone in bettongia gaimardi, a tasmanian macropodid marsupial. | many macropodids exhibit lactational quiescence during which an embryo produced at post-partum mating is retained as a blastocyst in utero while a pouch young is sucking. the sucking stimulus maintains secretion of prolactin which may in some species inhibit the activity of the corpus luteum and, hence, the development of the embryo. when the sucking frequency decreases, the blastocyst resumes development. in the present study, the dopamine agonist bromocriptine, which in many mammals results in ... | 1996 | 8916282 |
| thadeua greeni-associated dermatitis in an eastern bettong (bettongia gaimardi). | an adult female bettong (bettongia gaimardi) presented with extensive alopecia and dermatitis affecting the ventral and lateral aspects of the neck and thorax. microscopic examination of skin scrapings collected from the affected area revealed large numbers of the dermanyssid mite thadeua greeni. a histopathologic diagnosis of chronic proliferative and hyperkeratotic perivascular dermatitis with intralesional mites was returned. treatment with a combination of topical fipronil and parenteral ive ... | 2015 | 26056913 |
| home range size scales to habitat amount and increasing fragmentation in a mobile woodland specialist. | studies of impacts of fragmentation have focused heavily on measures of species presence or absence in fragments, or species richness in relation to fragmentation, but have often not considered the effects of fragmentation on ranging behavior of individual species. effective management will benefit from knowledge of the effects of fragmentation on space use by species.we investigated how a woodland specialist, the eastern bettong (bettongia gaimardi), responded to fragmentation in an agricultura ... | 2019 | 31938498 |
| state-space modeling reveals habitat perception of a small terrestrial mammal in a fragmented landscape. | habitat loss is a major cause of species loss and is expected to increase. loss of habitat is often associated with fragmentation of remaining habitat. whether species can persist in fragmented landscapes may depend on their movement behavior, which determines their capability to respond flexibility to changes in habitat structure and spatial distribution of patches.movement is frequently generalized to describe a total area used, or segmented to highlight resource use, often overlooking finer-s ... | 2019 | 31534695 |
| thyroid function and the development of endothermy in a marsupial, the tasmanian bettong, bettongia gaimardi (demarest 1822). | the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi) is a small rat-kangaroo (marsupial) found only in tasmania, australia. the duration of pouch life is 15 weeks. adults and older young display non-shivering thermogenesis and this paper examines the role of thyroxine in the development of endothermy in pouch young. free thyroxine (t4) concentrations varied throughout pouch life. the mean (+/-se) concentration was 6.2+/-1.9 pmol l(-1) in week 7, increased and peaked at 19.2+/-4.3 pmol l(-1) in week 12, an ... | 2004 | 14980792 |
| nonshivering thermogenesis in marsupials: absence of thermogenic response to beta 3-adrenergic agonists. | the status of nonshivering thermogenesis (nst) in marsupials remains controversial. although morphological studies have failed to find evidence for the presence of brown adipose tissue (bat) in adults or juveniles of species from all extant families of marsupial, a number of studies have investigated the metabolic response of marsupials to noradrenaline (na) and yielded conflicting results. in eutherian mammals, na stimulates nst in bat by acting on beta 3-receptors, and in the experiments repor ... | 1997 | 9172391 |
| alpha-adrenergic stimulation of thermogenesis in a rat kangaroo (marsupialia, bettongia gaimardi). | the tasmanian bettong (bettongia gaimardi) is a small rat kangaroo without detectable brown adipose tissue (bat). in view of our previous findings of norepinephrine-mediated increase in o2 consumption (vo2) in the perfused hindlimb of this species, the present study examined the effect of alpha-adrenoceptors on the thermogenesis of conscious bettongs at rest by infusing adrenergic agents via an indwelling catheter in the tail vein. the resting vo2 was 22.9 +/- 1.9 mmol.kg-1.h-1. norepinephrine ( ... | 1996 | 8853379 |
| identification of a novel species of eimeria schneider, 1875 from the woylie, bettongia penicillata gray (diprotodontia: potoroidae) and the genetic characterisation of three eimeria spp. from other potoroid marsupials. | faecal samples (n = 1,093) collected from the woylie bettongia penicillata gray, in south-western australia were examined for the presence of coccidian parasites. eimeria sp. oöcysts were detected in 15.2% of samples. faecal samples obtained from the eastern bettong bettongia gaimardi (desmarest) (n = 4) and long-nosed potoroo potorous tridactylus (kerr) (n = 12) in tasmania, were also screened for the presence of eimeria spp. (prevalence 50% and 41.7%, respectively). morphological and genetic c ... | 2019 | 31332672 |
| development of endothermy in a tasmanian marsupial, bettongia gaimardi and its response to cold and noradrenaline. | marsupials at birth are ectothermic and gradually attain the ability to change their metabolic heat production during pouch life. how this process occurs in the bettong has been measured on 13 pouch young from week 1 until 3 weeks after pouch vacation (week 18). oxygen consumption was measured at 35 degrees c (pouch temperature) and at 22 degrees c. the results at 35 degrees c showed an increase in metabolic rate from week 1 until week 12 when there was a decrease to near adult levels after pouc ... | 1998 | 9706706 |
| the role of prostaglandin f2 alpha and oxytocin in the reproductive behavior of a marsupial, bettongia gaimardi. | bettongs give birth on the night that their large pouch young finally vacates the pouch. we have hypothesized that hormones associated with this birth are also involved in pouch vacation. injections of prostaglandin f2 alpha (pgf2 alpha) caused contractions of the pouch. in a separate experiment pgf2 alpha caused pouch vacation; oxytocin had a similar effect but with a longer latency. in addition both hormones induced birth behavior in adult and immature females as well as in males. when a prost ... | 1997 | 9154432 |
| effects of digging by a native and introduced ecosystem engineer on soil physical and chemical properties in temperate grassy woodland. | temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. we compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern be ... | 2019 | 31497393 |