An important component of reintroduction is acclimatization to the release site. Movement parameters and breeding are common metrics used to infer the end of the acclimatization period, but the time taken to locate preferred food items is another important measure. We studied the diet of a reintroduced population of brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula in semi-arid South Australia over a 12 month period, investigating changes over time as well as the general diet. We used next-generation DNA sequencing to determine the contents of 253 scat samples, after creating a local plant reference library. Vegetation surveys were conducted monthly to account for availability. Dietary diversity and richness decreased significantly with time since release after availability was accounted for. We used Jacob's Index to assess selectivity; just 13.4% of available plant genera were significantly preferred overall, relative to availability. The mean proportion of preferred plant genera contained within individual samples increased significantly with time since release, but the frequency of occurrence of preferred plants did not. Five genera (Eucalyptus, Petalostylis, Maireana, Zygophyllum and Callitris) were present in more than half of samples. There was no difference in dietary preferences between sexes (Pianka overlap = 0.73). Our results suggest that acclimatization periods may be longer than those estimated via reproduction, changes in mass and movement parameters, but that under suitable conditions a changeable diet should not negatively affect reintroduction outcomes. Reintroduction projects should aim to extend post-release monitoring beyond the dietary acclimatization period and, for dry climates, diet should be monitored through a drought period.

中文翻译：

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调整时间：放归后重新引入的有袋动物的饮食变化

重新引入的一个重要组成部分是适应释放地点。运动参数和繁殖是用于推断适应期结束的常用指标，但定位首选食物所需的时间是另一个重要指标。我们研究了重新引入的刷尾负鼠种群的饮食毛毛虫在半干旱的南澳大利亚，为期 12 个月，调查随时间的变化以及一般饮食。在创建本地植物参考库后，我们使用下一代 DNA 测序来确定 253 个粪便样本的内容。植被调查每月进行一次，以说明可用性。考虑到可用性后的发布，膳食多样性和丰富度随着时间的推移而显着下降。我们使用 Jacob 指数来评估选择性；相对于可用性，只有 13.4% 的可用植物属总体上是显着优先的。自发布以来，个体样本中包含的优选植物属的平均比例随时间显着增加，但优选植物的出现频率没有。五属（桉树,花瓣目,迈雷阿纳,蒺藜和卡利特里斯) 存在于超过一半的样本中。两性之间的饮食偏好没有差异（Pianka 重叠 = 0.73）。我们的研究结果表明，适应期可能比通过繁殖、质量和运动参数的变化估计的要长，但在适当的条件下，多变的饮食不应对重新引入结果产生负面影响。放归项目应旨在将放归后监测延长至饮食适应期之外，对于干燥气候，应在干旱期监测饮食。