The Friends of Shenton Bushland Inc. |
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Bushland Activities page (blog) Bushland Management Strategies Guided walks:
Natural Control Systems (with Gall Rust) |
Everything is part of the food chainLeaf galls on banksia leaves are part of the food chain.
Look closely at the leaves of acacia and banksia trees. Many of the leaves have galls created by insects. Galls form when insects feed or lay eggs on the plant. Many gall-inducing insects are scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Australia has more gall-inducing scale insects than anywhere else in the world1. You may find galls on Acacia, Banksia, Allocasuarina, and Eucalyptus trees within Shenton Bushland. The leaves, seeds and nectar of plants in native bushland are constantly being eaten by birds and insects. These insects in turn provide food for reptiles and larger birds. Thus, they are a vital part of the food chain in the bushland. |
Created by Daniel Boase-Jelinek August 2004
All photographs are copyright of Daniel Boase-Jelinek unless otherwise indicated.
The logo of the Friends of Shenton Bushland is copyright of June L. Weller
Last updated November 2006