Ontogenetic shift in toxicity of invasive cane toads facilitates learned avoidance by native predators

Matthew J. Greenlees; Richard Shine

doi:10.3391/ai.2019.14.3.05

Ontogenetic shift in toxicity of invasive cane toads facilitates learned avoidance by native predators

Matthew J. Greenlees^*, Richard Shine

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

135 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The ecological impact of an invasive species depends upon many factors. Our experimental studies show that exposure to the tadpoles of cane toads (containing less toxin), Rhinella marina, induces predatory native frogs, Litoria dahlii, to avoid metamorph cane toads (containing comparatively more toxin) in subsequent encounters. The frog’s ability to generalise its aversion response from tadpoles to metamorphs, coupled with the toad’s strong ontogenetic variation in toxin content, which reflects its multiphasic life history, thus play critical roles in enabling native predatory frogs to survive the cane toad invasion.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	458-464
Number of pages	7
Journal	Aquatic Invasions
Volume	14
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2019.14.3.05
Publication status	Published - Sept 2019

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2019. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

stimulus generalisation
learning
Invasive species
Bufo marinus
anuran

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10.3391/ai.2019.14.3.05

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 396 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Ontogenetic shift in toxicity of invasive cane toads facilitates learned avoidance by native predators",

abstract = "The ecological impact of an invasive species depends upon many factors. Our experimental studies show that exposure to the tadpoles of cane toads (containing less toxin), Rhinella marina, induces predatory native frogs, Litoria dahlii, to avoid metamorph cane toads (containing comparatively more toxin) in subsequent encounters. The frog{\textquoteright}s ability to generalise its aversion response from tadpoles to metamorphs, coupled with the toad{\textquoteright}s strong ontogenetic variation in toxin content, which reflects its multiphasic life history, thus play critical roles in enabling native predatory frogs to survive the cane toad invasion.",

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AU - Shine, Richard

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N2 - The ecological impact of an invasive species depends upon many factors. Our experimental studies show that exposure to the tadpoles of cane toads (containing less toxin), Rhinella marina, induces predatory native frogs, Litoria dahlii, to avoid metamorph cane toads (containing comparatively more toxin) in subsequent encounters. The frog’s ability to generalise its aversion response from tadpoles to metamorphs, coupled with the toad’s strong ontogenetic variation in toxin content, which reflects its multiphasic life history, thus play critical roles in enabling native predatory frogs to survive the cane toad invasion.

AB - The ecological impact of an invasive species depends upon many factors. Our experimental studies show that exposure to the tadpoles of cane toads (containing less toxin), Rhinella marina, induces predatory native frogs, Litoria dahlii, to avoid metamorph cane toads (containing comparatively more toxin) in subsequent encounters. The frog’s ability to generalise its aversion response from tadpoles to metamorphs, coupled with the toad’s strong ontogenetic variation in toxin content, which reflects its multiphasic life history, thus play critical roles in enabling native predatory frogs to survive the cane toad invasion.

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Ontogenetic shift in toxicity of invasive cane toads facilitates learned avoidance by native predators

Abstract

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Keywords

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