Increased rates of dispersal of free-ranging cane toads (Rhinella marina) during their global invasion

Invasions often accelerate through time, as dispersal-enhancing traits accumulate at the expanding range edge. How does the dispersal behaviour of individual organisms shift to increase rates of population spread? We collate data from 44 radio-tracking studies (in total, of 650 animals) of cane toad...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-12, Vol.11 (1), p.23574-23574, Article 23574
Main Authors: Shine, Richard, Alford, Ross A., Blennerhasset, Ryan, Brown, Gregory P., DeVore, Jayna L., Ducatez, Simon, Finnerty, Patrick, Greenlees, Matthew, Kaiser, Shannon W., McCann, Samantha, Pettit, Lachlan, Pizzatto, Ligia, Schwarzkopf, Lin, Ward-Fear, Georgia, Phillips, Benjamin L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/2178
631/158/2450
631/158/857
Animal Distribution - physiology
Animal Migration - physiology
Animals
Australia
Bufo marinus - physiology
Bufonidae - physiology
Dispersal
Ecosystem
French Guiana
Hawaii
Humanities and Social Sciences
Introduced Species
Models, Biological
multidisciplinary
Philopatry
Population
Remote Sensing Technology
Rhinella marina
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Toads
Variables
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Summary:Invasions often accelerate through time, as dispersal-enhancing traits accumulate at the expanding range edge. How does the dispersal behaviour of individual organisms shift to increase rates of population spread? We collate data from 44 radio-tracking studies (in total, of 650 animals) of cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) to quantify distances moved per day, and the frequency of displacement in their native range (French Guiana) and two invaded areas (Hawai’i and Australia). We show that toads in their native-range, Hawai’i and eastern Australia are relatively sedentary, while toads dispersing across tropical Australia increased their daily distances travelled from 20 to 200 m per day. That increase reflects an increasing propensity to change diurnal retreat sites every day, as well as to move further during each nocturnal displacement. Daily changes in retreat site evolved earlier than did changes in distances moved per night, indicating a breakdown in philopatry before other movement behaviours were optimised to maximise dispersal.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-02828-5