Eucalyptus Leaves Diet
Eucalyptus trees are a unique genus of plant mostly endemic to Australia. They have become an important part of the environment, providing a source of food for animals that are tolerant to the oil that they produce in their leaves.
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Oil
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Eucalyptus leaves contain glands that produce an oil which acts as a powerful toxic disinfectant. It is known as a volatile oil because it evaporates in the atmosphere at room temperature. The leaves are toxic to most animals, but some have evolved defenses that allow them to eat parts of the eucalyptus.
Koala
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Koalas are tolerant to the oils in eucalyptus leaves; their dependence upon the eucalyptus correlates with the propagation of the tree across Australia. When they are young, koalas consume their mother's pap to inoculate their guts with the microbes necessary for digesting the oil. The leaves offer very little protein, so koalas have a slow metabolism and spend much of their active periods eating. The koala's highly developed scent allows it to find the leaves that are safe to eat.
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Greater Glider
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The greater glider is a small arborial marsupial that feeds almost exclusively on the young leaves and flower buds of eucalyptus trees; these parts are high in nitrogen and not quite so toxic. It's a nocturnal mammal that comes out at night to eat the eucalyptus foliage.
Ringtail Possum
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Like the greater glider, the ringtail possum is also a nocturnal herbivore marsupial, but it does not rely upon the eucalyptus exclusively or even for the majority of its diet. Instead, the ringtail possum eats a wide variety of fruits, flowers and leaves from Australian plants, but it primarily eats leaves.
Insects
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Besides mammals, a number of insects can consume the eucalyptus leaf, primarily the larvae of moths and butterflies, but also some longhorned beetles and psyllids.
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References
- Photo Credit Koala image by HeikeKl from Fotolia.com
