Litoria caeruleaWIKIMEDIA, LIQUIDGHOULWhen raised with the tadpoles of a native Australian green tree frog (Litoria caerulea), invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina) tadpoles grew more slowly and were less likely to survive, according to research published last month (February 21) in Austral Ecology. The findings raise the possibility that the native frogs could be introduced into suburban areas to control the population of cane toads, considered a feral pest.
Native to South America, cane toads were introduced down under to control sugar pests in the 1930s. They have since become one of the world’s most successful invasive species—largely because they produce large clutches of eggs, can migrate relatively long distances, and boast poisonous defenses. So far, no control efforts have been able to keep the toads in check, and they continue to wreak havoc on Australia’s native fauna.
But researchers at the University of Sydney noticed that as tadpoles, cane toads are less robust than young native frogs. Previous work in the lab showed that the presence of frog tadpoles negatively affects the survival of cane toad tadpoles. Sure enough, when the researchers placed green tree frog tadpoles and cane toad tadpoles in different ...
