ECOLOGY

Gum

During the winter, Sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) have been observed to feed on the gum exuded from the trunk and branches of Acacia mearnsii, A. dealbata and A. filicifolia (Smith 1992). During the summer they feed on scarab beetles (Anoplognathus sp. :Scarabaeidae), which eat the leaves of Eucalyptus trees. Removal of the acacias and the important winter food source may cause the gliders to move out of the area, leaving the eucalypts vulnerable to beetle attack and possibly defoliation and subsequent die-back. Other reports of gum being eaten include the consumption of the gum of Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata) and Hickory (A. melanoxylon) by the rare Leadbeaters' Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) (Smith in Strahan 1987; Strahan 1983) which inhabits the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of eastern Victoria, and possibly also by the Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) (Strahan 1983).

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