New Zealand's pest possums could develop poison resistance

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-11-05 11:16

Australia; New Zealand

photo credit: Tony Jewell

Possums in West Australia can withstand up to 150 times the dose of 1080 poison than their cousins on the east coast, and researchers are raising the prospect of similar poison resistance developing in Aotearoa. The toxin in 1080 is much more common in West Australian plants, leading the brushtails to develop a natural resistance over time. The researchers say that in Aotearoa, natural selection will favour the possums that survive 1080 exposure and reproduce.

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conference: Journal of Comparative Physiology B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Massey University

Funder: Financial support for this research came from OSPRI New Zealand Ltd (Richard Curtis) and Predator Free 2050 Ltd (Dan Tompkins).

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