Editing Honey possum (section)

==Ecology ==
''Tarsipe rostratus'' is a [[keystone species]] in the ecology of the coastal sands of Southwest Australia, complex assemblages of plants known as [[kwongan]], and are likely to be the primary pollinator of woody shrubs such as banksia and ''Adenanthos''. Their feeding activity involves visits to many individual plants and the head carries a small pollen load that can convey more effectively than the birds that visit the same flowers. The favoured species ''Banksia attenuata'' appears to be obliged to this animal as a pollination vector, and both species have evolved to suit their [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualistic]] interactions.<ref name="Bradshaw2014" />

The effect of fire frequency on the population was evaluated in a study over a twenty three-year period, giving indications of resilience of the species to the first fire in the area and a subsequent burn six years later. The effect of increased frequency and intensity of fire, due to global warming and [[prescribed burn]]s can adversely affect the suitability of the local habitat.<ref name="Bradshaw2017" />
The species is susceptible to the impact of ''[[Phytophthora cinnamomi]]'', a soil borne fungal-like species that is associated with [[forest dieback]] in the eucalypt forests and banksia woodlands of the region. The flowers of the nine plant species most favoured by ''T.&nbsp;rostratus'' provide food throughout the year, and five of these are vulnerable to the withering condition caused by ''P.&nbsp;cinnamomi'' pathogen.<ref name="O'Brien2014" />
{{Multiimage
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Banksia attenuata gnangarra 04.jpg
| caption1          = Bright yellow inflorescence of ''[[Banksia attenuata]]'', thought to be the favourite of the honey mouse
| image2            = Tarsipes rostratus 255482833.jpg
}}
It is the only entirely [[nectarivore|nectarivorous]] mammal which is not a bat;<ref name=Wiens1983>{{cite journal |last1=Wiens |first1=Delbert |last2=Rourke |first2=John Patrick |author-link2=John Patrick Rourke |last3=Casper |first3=Brenda B. |last4=Eric A. |first4=Rickart |last5=Lapine |first5=Timothy R. |last6=C. Jeanne |first6=Peterson |last7=Channing |first7=Alan |date=1983 |title=Nonflying Mammal Pollination of Southern African Proteas: A Non-Coevolved System |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16165524 |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=1–31 |doi=10.2307/2399006 |jstor=2399006 |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref> it has a long, pointed snout and a long, protrusile tongue with a brush tip that gathers [[pollen]] and [[nectar]], like a [[honeyeater]] or a [[hummingbird]]. Floral diversity is particularly important for the honey possum, as it cannot survive without a year-round supply of nectar and, unlike nectarivorous birds, it cannot easily travel long distances in search of fresh supplies.