David B Croft, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Published online: August 2001
DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0001554
There are around 250 species of marsupials found predominantly in Australia and South America. Many are convergent in form to placental mammals but they differ in reproduction, physiology and behaviour offering an alternative view on mammalian adaptation and lifestyles to their more diverse placental counterparts.
Keywords: mammals; marsupials; phylogeny; life history; behaviour
|
Figure 1. Two ends of the body mass range of marsupials. (a) A 5 g female narrow-nosed planigale (Planigale tenuirostris), and (b) a 75 kg male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).
|
|
Figure 2. Species richness of kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos in Australia.
|
|
Figure 3. Comparison of allometric relationships for (a) time from conception to weaning, and (b) growth rates (Gompertz constant, ) for marsupials and placentals. M, mass (kg).
|
|
Figure 4. Comparison of time to reach carrying capacity, i.e. average population density for a fixed area (solid lines), and total energy consumed to reach carrying capacity (dashed lines) for marsupials (squares) and placentals (diamonds) ranging from 0.01 to 100 kg.
|
| Further Reading | |
| book Archer M, Hand SJ and Godthelp H (1991) Riversleigh. Port Melbourne: Reed Books. | |
| book Caughley G (1987) "Ecological relationships". In: Caughley G, Shepherd N and Short J (eds) Kangaroos: Their Ecology and Management in the Sheep Rangelands of Australia, pp. 159–187. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | |
| book Cockburn A (1997) "Living slow and dying young: senescence in marsupials". In: Saunders NR and Hinds LA (eds) Marsupial Biology: Recent Research, New Perspectives, pp. 163–174. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. | |
| Croft DB (2000) Sustainable use of wildlife in western New South Wales: possibilities and problems. Rangeland Journal 22: 88–104. | |
| book Croft DB and Ganslosser U (eds) (1996) Comparison of Marsupial and Placental Behaviour. Fuerth: Filander. | |
| book Davies NB (1991) "Mating systems". In: Krebs JR and Davies NB (eds) Behavioural Ecology: An Evolutionary Approach, pp. 263–300. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific. | |
| Davison M-Jand Ward S-J (1998) Prenatal bias in sex ratios in a marsupial, Antechinus agilis. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences 265(1410): 2095–2099. | |
| book Dawson TJ (1995) Kangaroos: Biology of the Largest Marsupials. Sydney: UNSW Press. | |
| Dickman CR, Pressey RL, Lim L and Parnaby HE (1993) Mammals of particular conservation concern in the western division of New South Wales. Biological Conservation 65: 219–248. | |
| book Eisenberg JF (1981) The Mammalian Radiations: An Analysis of Trends in Evolution, Adaptation and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. | |
| Godthelp H, Archer M and Cifelli R (1992) Earliest known Australian Tertiary mammal fauna. Nature 356: 514–516. | |
| book Harder J-Dand Fleck D-W (1997) "Reproductive ecology of New World marsupials". In: Saunders NR and Hinds LA (eds) Marsupial Biology: Recent Research, New Perspectives, pp. 175–203. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. | |
| book Higginbottom Kand Croft DB (1999) "Social learning in marsupials". In: Box HO and Gibson KR (eds) Mammalian Social Learning: Comparative and Ecological Perspectives, pp. 80–101. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press | |
| book Hume ID (1999) Marsupial Nutrition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | |
| book Hunsaker DI and Shupe D (1977) "Behaviour of New World Marsupials". The Biology of Marsupials, pp. 279–348. New York: Academic Press. | |
| book Jarman PJand Kruuk H (1996) "Phylogeny and social organisation in mammals". In: Croft DB and Ganslosser U (eds) Comparison of Marsupial and Placental Behaviour, pp. 80–101. Fuerth: Filander | |
| book Lee AK and Cockburn A (1985) Evolutionary Ecology of Marsupials. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | |
| Russell EM (1982) Patterns of parental care and parental investment in marsupials. Biological Review 57: 423–486. | |
| book Russell EM, Lee AK and Wilson GR (1989) "Natural history of the metatheria". In: Walton DW and Richardson BJ (eds) Fauna of Australia, vol. 1B: Mammalia, pp. 505–526. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. | |
| book Saunders NR and Hinds LA (1977) Marsupial Biology: Recent Research, New Perspectives. Sydney: UNSW Press. | |
| Springer MS, Westerman M, Kavanagh JRet al. (1998) The origin of the Australasian marsupial fauna and the phylogenetic affinities of the enigmatic monito del monte and marsupial mole. Proceedings of The Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences 265(1413): 2381–2386. | |
| book Strahan R (1998) The Mammals of Australia. Sydney: Reed New Holland. | |
| book Tyndale-Bisocoe CH and Renfree M (1987) Reproductive Physiology of Marsupials. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | |
Copyright © 2000-2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., or related companies. All rights reserved.
