Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| does greater thermal plasticity facilitate range expansion of an invasive terrestrial anuran into higher latitudes? | temperature has pervasive effects on physiological processes and is critical in setting species distribution limits. since invading australia, cane toads have spread rapidly across low latitudes, but slowly into higher latitudes. low temperature is the likely factor limiting high-latitude advancement. several previous attempts have been made to predict future cane toad distributions in australia, but understanding the potential contribution of phenotypic plasticity and adaptation to future range ... | 2015 | 27293695 |
| rapid differentiation of sexual signals in invasive toads: call variation among populations. | advertisement calls tend to differ among populations, based on morphological and environmental factors, or simply geographic distance, in many taxa. invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) were introduced to australia in 1935 and their distribution has expanded at increasing rates over time. rapid evolution occurred in morphological and behavioural characters that accelerate dispersal, but the effects of rapid expansion on sexual signals have not been examined. we collected advertisement calls fro ... | 2016 | 27328666 |
| morphological characterization of eustrongylides sp. larvae (nematoda, dioctophymatoidea) parasite of rhinella marina (amphibia: bufonidae) from eastern amazonia. | absctract eustrongylides spp. nematodes have birds as final hosts and uses other vertebrates as intermediate/paratenic host (fish, amphibians and reptiles) and have zoonotic potential. in amphibians, the larvae may be located in the subcutaneous tissues, liver and mesentery, between the muscle fibres, especially in the lower limbs. rhinella marina, which is widely observed in brazil, has exhibited complex diversity in its helminth fauna, reflecting the unique habitat of the amazon biome. for the ... | 2016 | 27334826 |
| frogs in the spotlight: a 16-year survey of native frogs and invasive toads on a floodplain in tropical australia. | although widespread declines in anuran populations have attracted considerable concern, the stochastic demographics of these animals make it difficult to detect consistent trends against a background of spatial and temporal variation. to identify long-term trends, we need datasets gathered over long time periods, especially from tropical areas where anuran biodiversity is highest. we conducted road surveys of four anurans in the australian wet-dry tropics on 4637 nights over a 16-year period. ou ... | 2016 | 27386087 |
| quantification of bufadienolides in the poisons of rhinella marina and rhaebo guttatus by hplc-uv. | bufadienolides are the main active compounds in the bufonidae family of frogs. recent studies have demonstrated cytotoxic and/or antitumor activity in these molecules. a hplc-dad method was developed and validated to quantify three bufadienolides (telocinobufagin, marinobufagin and bufalin) in ethyl acetate extracts of the cane toad poison frogs and smooth-sided toad. the chromatographic analysis was performed on phenomenex luna c18 (250.0 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm), using gradient elution with acetonitril ... | 2016 | 27390041 |
| mixed population genomics support for the central marginal hypothesis across the invasive range of the cane toad (rhinella marina) in australia. | understanding factors that cause species' geographic range limits is a major focus in ecology and evolution. the central marginal hypothesis (cmh) predicts that species cannot adapt to conditions beyond current geographic range edges because genetic diversity decreases from core to edge due to smaller, more isolated edge populations. we employed a population genomics framework using 24 235-33 112 snp loci to test major predictions of the cmh in the ongoing invasion of the cane toad (rhinella mar ... | 2016 | 27393238 |
| the cane or marine toad, rhinella marina (anura, bufonidae): two genetically and morphologically distinct species. | rhinella marina is a neotropical toad that has been introduced widely worldwide. its toxic effects to frog-eating predators threaten the native and domestic fauna of some regions where it has been introduced. despite previous studies suggesting two genetically distinct cryptic species within r. marina, one east and one west of the andes, its taxonomic status remained unresolved due to the absence of morphological complementary evidence. for the first time, data from two mitochondrial genes (nd3 ... | 2016 | 27394759 |
| multi-constituent identification in australian cane toad skin extracts using high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. | toad skins and venom glandular secretions have been widely used for centuries in traditional chinese and japanese medicine for the treatment of various ailments such as cancer, sores, toothache, local inflammation and pain. the active chemical constituents from traditional oriental medicines have demonstrated potential in the development of effective therapeutic pharmaceuticals. our primary focus in this research was to identify and characterise 'active' compounds or groups of compounds for thei ... | 2016 | 27442888 |
| characterisation and vascular expression of nitric oxide synthase 3 in amphibians. | in mammals, nitric oxide (no) produced by nitric oxide synthase 3 (nos3) localised in vascular endothelial cells is an important vasodilator but the presence of nos3 in the endothelium of amphibians has been concluded to be absent, based on physiological studies. in this study, a nos3 cdna was sequenced from the toad, rhinella marina. the open reading frame of r. marina nos3 encoded an 1170 amino acid protein that showed 81 % sequence identity to the recently cloned xenopus tropicalis nos3. rhin ... | 2016 | 27543051 |
| eliciting conditioned taste aversion in lizards: live toxic prey are more effective than scent and taste cues alone. | conditioned taste aversion (cta) is an adaptive learning mechanism whereby a consumer associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic substance, and thereafter avoids eating that type of food. recently, wildlife researchers have employed cta to discourage native fauna from ingesting toxic cane toads (rhinella marina), a species that is invading tropical australia. in this paper, we compare the results of 2 sets of cta trials on large varanid lizards ("goannas," varanus pan ... | 2017 | 27579495 |
| additional in-series compliance reduces muscle force summation and alters the time course of force relaxation during fixed-end contractions. | there are high mechanical demands placed on skeletal muscles in movements requiring rapid acceleration of the body or its limbs. tendons are responsible for transmitting muscle forces, but, because of their elasticity, can manipulate the mechanics of the internal contractile apparatus. shortening of the contractile apparatus against the stretch of tendon affects force generation according to known mechanical properties; however, the extent to which differences in tendon compliance alter force de ... | 2016 | 27609762 |
| antiproliferative activity and chemical composition of the venom from the amazonian toad rhinella marina (anura: bufonidae). | little is known on the composition of peruvian amazon toad venoms. the large toad rhinella marina is common in the cleared tropical forests of the iquitos region and is regarded as poisonous. the venom from two different populations of r. marina was collected in the departamento de loreto, perú. the samples were assessed for antiproliferative effect and composition. some 29 compounds were identified or tentatively identified from the venom by spectroscopic and spectrometric means. the main free ... | 2016 | 27616454 |
| isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane use in cane toads (rhinella marina). | anaesthetic chamber concentrations of isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane that resulted in loss of righting reflex within 15 minutes in 50 per cent of toads (rhinella marina) exposed (ed50-lrr<15min) were identified. the median and range ed50-lrr<15min was 1.4 (0.9-1.4) per cent for isoflurane, 1.75 (1.1-1.9) per cent for sevoflurane and 4.4 (4.3-5.5) per cent for desflurane. subsequently, toads were exposed to 1.5 times the ed50-lrr<15min and times to loss and return of righting reflex were ... | 2016 | 27651914 |
| constructing an invasion machine: the rapid evolution of a dispersal-enhancing phenotype during the cane toad invasion of australia. | biological invasions can induce rapid evolutionary change. as cane toads (rhinella marina) have spread across tropical australia over an 80-year period, their rate of invasion has increased from around 15 to 60 km per annum. toads at the invasion front disperse much faster and further than conspecifics from range-core areas, and their offspring inherit that rapid dispersal rate. we investigated morphological changes that have accompanied this dramatic acceleration, by conducting three-dimensiona ... | 2017 | 27658247 |
| antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of toad venoms from southern amazon, brazil. | the drug-resistance of malaria parasites is the main problem in the disease control. the huge brazilian biodiversity promotes the search for new compounds, where the animal kingdom is proving to be a promising source of bioactive compounds. the main objective of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity of the compounds obtained from the toad venoms of brazilian amazon. toad venoms were collected from the secretion of rhinella marina and rhaebo guttatus in mato grosso ... | 2016 | 27658592 |
| is the enhanced dispersal rate seen at invasion fronts a behaviourally plastic response to encountering novel ecological conditions? | as a population expands into novel areas (as occurs in biological invasions), the range edge becomes dominated by rapidly dispersing individuals-thereby accelerating the rate of population spread. that acceleration has been attributed to evolutionary processes (natural selection and spatial sorting), to which we add a third complementary process: behavioural plasticity. encountering environmental novelty may directly elicit an increased rate of dispersal. when we reciprocally translocated cane t ... | 2016 | 27677818 |
| comparative study of host response to chytridiomycosis in a susceptible and a resistant toad species. | in the past century, recently emerged infectious diseases have become major drivers of species decline and extinction. the fungal disease chytridiomycosis has devastated many amphibian populations and exacerbated the amphibian conservation crisis. biologists are beginning to understand what host traits contribute to disease susceptibility, but more work is needed to determine why some species succumb to chytridiomycosis while others do not. we conducted an integrative laboratory experiment to ex ... | 2016 | 27696594 |
| evidence toads may modulate landing preparation without predicting impact time. | within anurans (frogs and toads), cane toads (bufo marinus) perform particularly controlled landings in which the forelimbs are exclusively used to decelerate and stabilize the body after impact. here we explore how toads achieve dynamic stability across a wide range of landing conditions. specifically, we suggest that torques during landing could be reduced by aligning forelimbs with the body's instantaneous velocity vector at impact (impact angle). to test whether toad forelimb orientation var ... | 2017 | 27895052 |
| first report of exotic ticks (amblyomma rotundatum) parasitizing invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) on the island of hawai'i. | our surveys of 1401 invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) from the hawaiian islands of hawai'i, o'ahu, and maui revealed the presence of an exotic tick, amblyomma rotundatum. immature and adult female ticks infested three wild adult toads at a single site in the vicinity of a zoo south of hilo, island of hawai'i, hawai'i, usa. we found no tick-infested toads on o'ahu or maui. this tick infests cane toads in their native neotropical range, but it was excluded from hawai'i when the original founde ... | 2017 | 28017622 |
| application of focused ultrasound-assisted extraction for the quantification of persistent organic pollutions in liver tissue of giant toad (rhinella marina). | a simple and rapid focused ultrasound extraction method was developed for the determination of persistent organic pollutants (pops) in liver tissue obtained of giant toad (rhinella marina) using a gas chromatography coupled to a mass detector with electron impact ionization. the performed method for pops, was validated in fortified matrix, showing linearity from the loq up to 100 ng/ml; lods and loqs for each compound were between 1.7 and 4.8 and 3.5-7.5 ng/ml, respectively. recovery rates were ... | 2017 | 28039530 |
| it is lonely at the front: contrasting evolutionary trajectories in male and female invaders. | invasive species often exhibit rapid evolutionary changes, and can provide powerful insights into the selective forces shaping phenotypic traits that influence dispersal rates and/or sexual interactions. invasions also may modify sexual dimorphism. we measured relative lengths of forelimbs and hindlimbs of more than 3000 field-caught adult cane toads (rhinella marina) from 67 sites in hawai'i and australia (1-80 years post-colonization), along with 489 captive-bred individuals from multiple aust ... | 2016 | 28083108 |
| differences in mobility at the range edge of an expanding invasive population of xenopus laevis in the west of france. | theoretical models predict that spatial sorting at the range edge of expanding populations should favor individuals with increased mobility relative to individuals at the center of the range. despite the fact that empirical evidence for the evolution of locomotor performance at the range edge is rare, data on cane toads support this model. however, whether this can be generalized to other species remains largely unknown. here, we provide data on locomotor stamina and limb morphology in individua ... | 2017 | 28100805 |
| interspecific variation and plasticity in hemoglobin nitrite reductase activity and its correlation with oxygen affinity in vertebrates. | deoxygenated hemoglobin (hb) is a nitrite reductase that reduces naturally occurring nitrite to nitric oxide (no), supplying physiological relevant no under hypoxic conditions. the nitrite reductase activity is modulated by the allosteric equilibrium between the r and t structures of hb that also determines oxygen affinity. in the present study we investigated nitrite reductase activity and o2 affinity in hbs from ten different vertebrate species under identical conditions to disclose interspeci ... | 2017 | 28109837 |
| membranes during yolk-platelet development in oocytes of the toad bufo marinus. | oocytes of the toad bufo marinus have been studied by means of thin section and particularly freeze-fracture electron microscopy to characterize the cytoplasmic membranes around the yolk organelle, and the storage of yolk material in precursors and platelets. this appears to be a previously unknown type of yolk-platelet formation. during yolk-organelle development from the primordial precursor to the bi-partite fully grown yolk platelet, numerous lipoid droplets are attached to the periphery of ... | 1987 | 28305636 |
| life history consequences of feeding versus non-feeding in a facultatively non-feeding toad larva. | bufo periglenes, a toad endemic to montane costa rica, produces an unusually small clutch of large, yolk-rich eggs. the toads breed in small ephemeral pools that are unpredictable in duration and may be low in food availability. two congeners, bufo coniferus and bufo marinus, occur nearby, breed in more permanent bodies of water that offer more food, and exhibit the typical toad pattern of large clutches of small eggs. tadpoles of all three species feed on detritus and suspended organic material ... | 1989 | 28312177 |
| the impact of transportation and translocation on dispersal behaviour in the invasive cane toad. | biological invasions transport organisms to novel environments; but how does the translocation process influence movement patterns of the invader? plausibly, the stress of encountering a novel environment, or of the transport process, might induce rapid dispersal from the release site-potentially enhancing (or reducing) invader success and spread. we investigated the effect of transportation and release to novel environments on dispersal-relevant traits of one of the world's most notorious invad ... | 2017 | 28432445 |
| chronic effects of an invasive species on an animal community. | invasive species can trigger trophic cascades in animal communities, but published cases involving their removal of top predators are extremely rare. an exception is the invasive cane toad (rhinella marina) in australia, which has caused severe population declines in monitor lizards, triggering trophic cascades that facilitated dramatic and sometimes unexpected increases in several prey of the predators, including smaller lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodiles, and birds. persistence of isolated p ... | 2017 | 28477376 |
| helminth infracommunity of the cane toad rhinella marina (anura: bufonidae) within its native distribution range. | during august 2010, a total of 66 cane toad rhinella marina were collected in laguna de coyuca, guerrero, mexico and examined for the presence of helminths. ninety-two percent were parasitized by 1 or more parasite species. a total of 4624 individuals were found, belonging to 8 helminth taxa (1 digenean, 1 cestode and 6 nematodes). infracommunities harbored by this host species are highly variable (mean jaccard similarity index 0.31±0.27); mean percent similarity index 0.26±0.32) and depauperate ... | 2017 | 28501634 |
| commentary on: "vascular distensibilities have minor effects on intracardiac shunt patterns in reptiles" by filogonio et al. (2017). | the recent study by filogonio et al. (2017) suggested that net cardiac shunt patterns in two species of reptiles (trachemys scripta and crotalus durissus) were not significantly influenced by the vascular distensibilities of the systemic and pulmonary vasculatures. this is in contrast to a previously published study (hillman et al., 2014) in the toad (rhinella marina) in which net cardiac shunts were predicted primarily by the physical properties of vascular distensibility rather than physiologi ... | 2017 | 28546068 |
| success of capture of toads improved by manipulating acoustic characteristics of lures. | management of invasive vertebrates is a crucial component of conservation. trapping reproductive adults is often effective for control, and modification of traps may greatly increase their attractiveness to such individuals. cane toads (rhinella marina) are invasive, and males use advertisement vocalisations to attract reproductive females. in amphibians, including toads, specific structural parameters of calls (e.g. dominant frequency and pulse rate) may be attractive to females. some cane toad ... | 2017 | 28557360 |
| the ecological genetics of introduced populations of the giant toad, bufo marinus. iii. geographical patterns of variation. | the allele frequencies at ten polymorphic loci are described from 31 bufo marinus populations in the moreton bay region in southeastern queensland, australia and the variation of these is found to be non-random in all cases. the pattern of non-randomness varies among loci, being clinal in two instances. the allele frequencies at the same ten loci are also described for 12 populations sampled from throughout b. marinus' australian range. the frequency variation on this larger geographical scale i ... | 1985 | 28561503 |
| living with a leaky skin: upregulation of ion transport proteins during sloughing. | amphibian skin is a multifunctional organ providing protection from the external environment and facilitating the physiological exchange of gases, water and salts with the environment. in order to maintain these functions, the outer layer of skin is regularly replaced in a process called sloughing. during sloughing, the outermost layer of the skin is removed in its entirety, which has the potential to interfere with skin permeability and ion transport, disrupting homeostasis. in this study, we m ... | 2017 | 28566357 |
| multivariate patterns of genetic differentiation support complex colonization schemes in bufo marinus populations. | 1996 | 28568941 | |
| seasonal factors influence quantal transmitter release and calcium dependence at amphibian neuromuscular junctions. | amphibian neuromuscular junctions (nmjs) are composed of hundreds of neurotransmitter release sites that exhibit nonuniform transmitter release probabilities and demonstrated seasonal modulation. we examined whether recruitment of release sites is variable when the extracellular calcium concentration ([ca2+]o) is increased in the wet and dry seasons. the amount of transmitter released from the entire nerve terminal increases by approximately the fourth power as [ca2+]o is increased. toad (bufo m ... | 2017 | 28637657 |
| microbiome-mediated biotransformation of cane toad bufagenins. | cane toads are an invasive pest species in which all life stages employ cardiotoxic bufagenins as a chemical defense against predators. curiously, the bufagenin profiles of eggs and tadpoles are more complex than those of parotoid secretion, the principle mechanism of toxin delivery in adult toads. in an effort to understand this complexity, we determined that selected strains of adult toad parotoid-gland-associated gram-positive bacteria, bacillus spp., were capable of biotransforming secreted ... | 2017 | 28691813 |
| moving south: effects of water temperatures on the larval development of invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) in cool-temperate australia. | the distributional limits of many ectothermic species are set by thermal tolerances of early-developmental stages in the life history; embryos and larvae often are less able to buffer environmental variation than are conspecific adults. in pond-breeding amphibians, for example, cold water may constrain viability of eggs and larvae, even if adults can find suitable thermal conditions in terrestrial niches. invasive species provide robust model systems for exploring these questions, because we can ... | 2016 | 28725376 |
| giant toads (rhinella marina) living in agricultural areas have altered spermatogenesis. | across diverse taxa, germ cell development is controlled by an intricate cascade of processes that are tightly controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. endocrine disturbances, such as those induced by endocrine disrupting chemicals (edcs) can negatively affect spermatogenesis. here, we investigate whether spermatogenesis is altered in the giant toad, rhinella marina, living in agricultural areas where edcs are used relative to suburban areas. we also ask if reductions in spermatoge ... | 2017 | 28787797 |
| locomotor performance of cane toads differs between native-range and invasive populations. | invasive species provide a robust opportunity to evaluate how animals deal with novel environmental challenges. shifts in locomotor performance-and thus the ability to disperse-(and especially, the degree to which it is constrained by thermal and hydric extremes) are of special importance, because they might affect the rate that an invader can spread. we studied cane toads (rhinella marina) across a broad geographical range: two populations within the species' native range in brazil, two invasiv ... | 2017 | 28791174 |
| competition and pesticide exposure affect development of invasive (rhinella marina) and native (fejervarya vittigera) rice paddy amphibian larvae. | increased pesticide use in rice agricultural ecosystems may alter competitive interactions between invasive and native amphibian species. we conducted an experiment with two rice paddy amphibians found in luzon, philippines, the invasive cane toad (rhinella marina) and the endemic luzon wart frog (fejervarya vittigera), to determine whether exposure to a common herbicide, butachlor, drives competitive interactions in favor of the invasive amphibian. our results revealed that competition had a st ... | 2017 | 28936635 |
| using experimental de-worming to measure the immunological and pathological impacts of lungworm infection in cane toads. | the immunological and pathological consequences of parasite infection can be more rigorously assessed from experimental manipulation than from correlational studies of natural infections. we used anthelmintic treatment to experimentally decrease intensities of lungworm infection in captive and free-ranging wild cane toads to assess parasite impacts on host immune responses. first, we administered the anthelmintic drug ivermectin to both infected and uninfected toads, to distinguish drug effects ... | 2017 | 28971017 |
| genetic damage in rhinella marina populations in habitats affected by agriculture in the middle region of the sinú river, colombia. | contamination with pesticide residues affects the environmental health of agroecosystems, especially the amphibian fauna that lives in these environments. the objective of the present study was to determine pesticides concentrations in sediments of agroecosystems and to evaluate genetic damage in rhinella marina populations living in these zones. a total of 91 individuals were collected, 51 in the group exposed in different areas of the middle region of the sinú river (irrigation district of moc ... | 2017 | 28975520 |
| effects of invasion history on physiological responses to immune system activation in invasive australian cane toads. | the cane toad (rhinella marina) has undergone rapid evolution during its invasion of tropical australia. toads from invasion front populations (in western australia) have been reported to exhibit a stronger baseline phagocytic immune response than do conspecifics from range core populations (in queensland). to explore this difference, we injected wild-caught toads from both areas with the experimental antigen lipopolysaccharide (lps, to mimic bacterial infection) and measured whole-blood phagocy ... | 2017 | 29018604 |
| exploratory behavior of a native anuran species with high invasive potential. | exploratory behavior can be a key component of survival in novel or changing environments, ultimately determining population establishment. while many studies have investigated the behavior of wild animals in response to novel food items or objects, our understanding of how they explore novel environments is limited. here, we examine how experience affects the foraging behavior of a species with high invasive potential. in particular, we investigate the movement and behavior of cane toads as a f ... | 0 | 29030724 |
| invasive cane toads are unique in shape but overlap in ecological niche compared to australian native frogs. | invasive species are an important issue worldwide but predicting invasiveness, and the underlying mechanisms that cause it, is difficult. there are several primary hypotheses to explain invasion success. two main hypothesis based on niche spaces stand out as alternative, although not exclusive. the empty niche hypothesis states that invaders occupy a vacant niche space in the recipient community, and the niche competition hypothesis states that invaders overlap with native species in niche space ... | 2017 | 29043018 |
| vasoactivity of nitrite in the iliac artery of the toad, rhinella marina. | nitrite (no2-) causes vasodilation in mammals due to the formation of (nitric oxide) no by endogenous no2- reduction in the vascular wall. in this study, we determined if a similar mechanism operates in amphibians. dual-wire myography of the iliac artery from rhinella marina showed that applied no2- caused a concentration-dependent vasodilation in normoxia (21% o2; ec50 438 µm). hypoxia (0.63% o2) significantly increased the maximal dilation to no2- by 5 % (p = 0.0398). the addition of oxyhemogl ... | 2017 | 29046317 |
| methods for invasive species control are transferable across invaded areas. | cane toads (rhinella marina) are invasive pests in many parts of the world, including the japanese island of ishigaki. extensive research in australia has identified promising new methods for control, but also has shown that toads exhibit geographic variation in many traits (suggesting that methods developed in one location may not work in another). can the approaches developed in australia play a useful role for controlling this invasive species in japan? our experimental trials on ishigaki isl ... | 2017 | 29099851 |
| the loneliness of the long-distance toad: invasion history and social attraction in cane toads (rhinella marina). | individuals at the leading edge of a biological invasion constantly encounter novel environments. these pioneers may benefit from increased social attraction, because low population densities reduce competition and risks of pathogen transfer, and increase benefits of information transfer. in standardized trials, cane toads (rhinella marina) from invasion-front populations approached conspecifics more often, and spent more time close to them, than did conspecifics from high-density, long-colonize ... | 2017 | 29118242 |
| is the behavioural divergence between range-core and range-edge populations of cane toads (rhinella marina) due to evolutionary change or developmental plasticity? | individuals at the leading edge of expanding biological invasions often show distinctive phenotypic traits, in ways that enhance their ability to disperse rapidly and to function effectively in novel environments. cane toads (rhinella marina) at the invasion front in australia exhibit shifts in morphology, physiology and behaviour (directionality of dispersal, boldness, risk-taking). we took a common-garden approach, raising toads from range-core and range-edge populations in captivity, to see i ... | 2017 | 29134082 |
| sex and weaponry: the distribution of toxin-storage glands on the bodies of male and female cane toads (rhinella marina). | the parotoid macroglands of bufonid anurans store (and can expel) large volumes of toxic secretions and have attracted detailed research. however, toxins also are stored in smaller glands that are distributed on the limbs and dorsal surface of the body. female and male cane toads (rhinella marina) differ in the location of toxin-storage glands and the extent of glandular structures. female toads store a larger proportion of their toxins in the parotoids than males as well as (to a lesser extent) ... | 2017 | 29152190 |
| improving amphibian genomic resources: a multitissue reference transcriptome of an iconic invader. | cane toads (rhinella marina) are an iconic invasive species introduced to 4 continents and well utilized for studies of rapid evolution in introduced environments. despite the long introduction history of this species, its profound ecological impacts, and its utility for demonstrating evolutionary principles, genetic information is sparse. here we produce a de novo transcriptome spanning multiple tissues and life stages to enable investigation of the genetic basis of previously identified rapid ... | 0 | 29186423 |
| reptiles and amphibians as potential reservoir hosts of chikungunya virus. | chikungunya virus is an emerging arbovirus of significant human-health concern. little is known about its sylvatic cycle, including whether ectothermic vertebrates are permissive to infection. in this study, individuals from ten species of reptiles and amphibians were inoculated with chikungunya virus and samples of blood were tested to characterize viremia and seroconversion. viremia was not detected in cane toads, house geckos, or american alligators, but most of the green iguanas, red-eared s ... | 0 | 29313469 |
| characterization of the skin microbiota of the cane toad rhinella cf. marina in puerto rico and costa rica. | rhinella marina is a toad native to south america that has been introduced in the antilles, likely carrying high loads of microorganisms, potentially impacting local community diversity. the amphibian skin is involved in pathogen defense and its microbiota has been relatively well studied, however, research focusing on the cane toad microbiota is lacking. we hypothesize that the skin microbial communities will differ between toads inhabiting different geographical regions in central america and ... | 2017 | 29354109 |
| invasion history alters the behavioural consequences of immune system activation in cane toads. | acute activation of the immune system often initiates a suite of behavioural changes. these "sickness behaviours"-involving lethargy and decreased activity-may be particularly costly on invasion fronts, where evolutionary pressures on dispersal favour individuals that move large distances. we used a combination of field and laboratory studies to compare sickness behaviours of cane toads from populations differing in invasion history. to do this we stimulated immune system activation by injecting ... | 2018 | 29380363 |
| physiological plasticity in a successful invader: rapid acclimation to cold occurs only in cool-climate populations of cane toads (rhinella marina). | physiological plasticity may facilitate invasion of novel habitats; but is such plasticity present in all populations of the invader or is it elicited only by specific climatic challenges? in cold-climate areas of australia, invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) can rapidly acclimate to cool conditions. to investigate whether this physiological plasticity is found in all invasive cane toads or is only seen in cool climates, we measured the acclimation ability of toads from across australia and t ... | 2018 | 29399360 |
| new weapons in the toad toolkit: a review of methods to control and mitigate the biodiversity impacts of invasive cane toads (rhinella marina). | our best hope of developing innovative methods to combat invasive species is likely to come from the study of high-profile invaders that have attracted intensive research not only into control, but also basic biology. here we illustrate that point by reviewing current thinking about novel ways to control one of the world’s most well-studied invasions: that of the cane toad in australia. recently developed methods for population suppression include more effective traps based on the toad’s acousti ... | 2017 | 29562120 |
| on the taxonomic status of bufo brasiliensis laurenti, 1768. | the name bufo brasiliensis was proposed by laurenti (1768) and, for a long time, has been associated with the widely distributed marine toad - rhinella marina (linnaeus, 1758). however, we found several inconsistences in this taxonomic proposal and disagree with it. we argue that the specimen illustrated does not correspond to any bufonid form (even less the neotropical genus rhinella) based on the following argumentation presented below. laurenti (1768) used seba's (1734) illustration in plate ... | 2018 | 29690401 |
| effects of rearing environment and population origin on responses to repeated behavioural trials in cane toads (rhinella marina). | behavioural responses to repeated trials in captivity can be driven by many factors including rearing environment, population of origin, habituation to captivity/trial conditions and an individual's behavioural type (e.g., bold versus shy). we tested the effect of rearing environment (captive raised common-garden versus wild-caught) and population origin (range-edge versus range-front) on the responses of invasive cane toads (rhinella marina) to repeated exploration and risk-taking assays in cap ... | 2018 | 29729410 |
| the thermal dependency of locomotor performance evolves rapidly within an invasive species. | biological invasions can stimulate rapid shifts in organismal performance, via both plasticity and adaptation. we can distinguish between these two proximate mechanisms by rearing offspring from populations under identical conditions and measuring their locomotor abilities in standardized trials. we collected adult cane toads (rhinella marina) from invasive populations that inhabit regions of australia with different climatic conditions. we bred those toads and raised their offspring under commo ... | 2018 | 29760882 |
| survival of the feces: does a nematode lungworm adaptively manipulate the behavior of its cane toad host? | parasites can enhance their fitness by modifying the behavior of their hosts in ways that increase rates of production and transmission of parasite larvae. we used an antihelminthic drug to experimentally alter infections of lungworms (rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala) in cane toads (rhinella marina). we then compared subsequent behaviors of dewormed toads versus toads that retained infections. both in the laboratory and in the field, the presence of parasites induced hosts to select higher body te ... | 2018 | 29760901 |
| behavioural divergence during biological invasions: a study of cane toads (rhinella marina) from contrasting environments in hawai'i. | invasive species must deal with novel challenges, both from the alien environment and from pressures arising from range expansion per se (e.g. spatial sorting). those conditions can create geographical variation in behaviour across the invaded range, as has been documented across regions of australia invaded by cane toads; range-edge toads are more exploratory and willing to take risks than are conspecifics from the range-core. that behavioural divergence might be a response to range expansion a ... | 2018 | 29765696 |
| detection of rickettsia spp. in ticks parasitizing toads (rhinella marina) in the northern brazilian amazon. | this study evaluated rickettsial infection in ticks collected on toads from the northern brazilian amazon (amapá state), where to our knowledge there are neither records of ticks from amphibians nor rickettsial infections in ticks. during 2016-2017, a total of 22 free-living toads were captured and identified as rhinella marina. overall, 12 (54.5%) toads were parasitized by a total of 97 ticks (6 males, 39 females, 31 nymphs, 21 larvae), giving a mean intensity of 8.1 ticks per infested toad. tw ... | 2018 | 29846852 |
| revealing of endogenous marinobufagin by an ultra-specific and sensitive uhplc-ms/ms assay in pregnant women. | marinobufagenin (mbg) is a bufadienolide cardiac inotrope implicated in volume expansion-mediated hypertensive states including essential hypertension and preeclampsia (pe). endogenous mbg is an inhibitor of the α1-isoform of na+,k+-atpase with vasoconstrictive and cardiotonic properties, causing hypertension and natriuresis. elevated endogenous mbg-like material levels have been described by immunoassays in salt-sensitive pregnant and preeclamptic rats as well as in preeclamptic human patients. ... | 2018 | 29853035 |
| testing for short- and long-term thermal plasticity in corticosterone responses of an ectothermic vertebrate. | phenotypic plasticity, broadly defined as the capacity of one genotype to produce more than one phenotype, is a key mechanism for how animals adapt to environmental (including thermal) variation. vertebrate glucocorticoid hormones exert broad-scale regulation of physiological, behavioral, and morphological traits that influence fitness under many life-history or environmental contexts. yet the capacity for vertebrates to demonstrate different types of thermal plasticity, including rapid compensa ... | 2018 | 29863953 |
| widespread vulnerability of malagasy predators to the toxins of an introduced toad. | invasive species are a key factor contributing to the global decline of biodiversity, and understanding the underlying mechanisms is crucial to mitigate detrimental effects [1]. one such mechanism is the introduction of invasive species with defensive strategies, such as novel toxins, that can disrupt native predator communities [2]. disruption of such communities can produce trophic cascades, impacting a diverse array of taxa [2]. madagascar, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, has rec ... | 2018 | 29870701 |
| the perils of paradise: an endangered species conserved on an island loses antipredator behaviours within 13 generations. | when imperilled by a threatening process, the choice is often made to conserve threatened species on offshore islands that typically lack the full suite of mainland predators. while keeping the species extant, this releases the conserved population from predator-driven natural selection. antipredator traits are no longer maintained by natural selection and may be lost. it is implicitly assumed that such trait loss will happen slowly, but there are few empirical tests. in australia, northern quol ... | 2018 | 29875211 |
| short-duration respirometry underestimates metabolic rate for discontinuous breathers. | metabolic rate is commonly estimated from rates of gas exchange. an underappreciated factor that can influence estimates is patterns of pulmonary respiration. amphibians display discontinuous respiratory patterns, often including long apnoeas, in addition to cutaneous gas exchange. the contribution of cutaneous exchange increases at low temperatures when metabolic rate is low. because of the relatively low permeability of skin, measurements that disproportionately capture cutaneous exchange can ... | 2018 | 29880638 |
| targeted gene flow and rapid adaptation in an endangered marsupial. | targeted gene flow is an emerging conservation strategy. it involves translocating individuals with favorable genes to areas where they will have a conservation benefit. the applications for targeted gene flow are wide-ranging but include preadapting native species to the arrival of invasive species. the endangered carnivorous marsupial, the northern quoll (dasyurus hallucatus), has declined rapidly since the introduction of the cane toad (rhinella marina), which fatally poisons quolls that atta ... | 2019 | 29896894 |
| the influence of visual, vestibular, and hindlimb proprioceptive ablations on landing preparation in cane toads. | coordinated landing from a jump requires preparation, which must include appropriate positioning and configuration of the landing limbs and body to be successful. while well studied in mammals, our lab has been using the cane toad (rhinella marinus) as a model for understanding the biomechanics of controlled landing in anurans, animals that use jumping or bounding as their dominant mode of locomotion. in this article, we report new results from experiments designed to explore how different modes ... | 2018 | 29897446 |
| viral discovery in the invasive australian cane toad (rhinella marina) using metatranscriptomic and genomic approaches. | cane toads are a notorious invasive species, inhabiting over 1.2 million km2 of australia and threatening native biodiversity. the release of pathogenic cane toad viruses is one possible biocontrol strategy yet is currently hindered by the poorly described cane toad virome. metatranscriptomic analysis of 16 cane toad livers revealed the presence of a novel and full-length picornavirus, rhimavirus a (rhiv-a), a member of a reptile- and amphibian-specific cluster of the picornaviridae basal to the ... | 2018 | 29899109 |
| anuran predators overcome visual illusion: dazzle coloration does not protect moving prey. | predators everywhere impose strong selection pressures on the morphology and behavior of their prey, but the resulting antipredator adaptations vary greatly among species. studies of adaptive coloration in prey species have generally focused on cryptic or aposematic prey, with little consideration of color patterns in palatable mobile prey. complex color patterns have been proposed to decrease the ability of visual predators to capture moving prey (motion dazzle effect). most support for this hy ... | 2018 | 29922864 |
| cloacal and ocular microbiota of the endangered australian northern quoll. | the australian northern quoll is an important predatory marsupial carnivore that is currently endangered due to inappropriate fire regimes, predation, and the spread of invasive cane toads. the microbiota of australian marsupials has not been extensively studied, but is thought to play a role in their health. this study provides an initial characterization of the cloacal microbiota of the northern quoll, as well as other marsupials including possums and kangaroos which were opportunistically sam ... | 2018 | 30002322 |
| invasive colonic entamoebiasis in wild cane toads, australia. | we detected a disease syndrome in free-ranging australian cane toads involving atypical behavior and emaciation that is associated with a previously undescribed entamoeba sp. that infiltrates the colonic lining, causing it to slough. the organism may become seasonally pathogenic when toads are under hydric and nutritional stress. | 2018 | 30015612 |
| differential gene expression to an lps challenge in relation to exogenous corticosterone in the invasive cane toad (rhinella marina). | the cane toad (rhinella marina) is an invasive amphibian in several parts of the world. much of the research performed on assessing the dispersal potential of invasive species has focused immunity. invaders are predicted to rely less on pro-inflammatory immunity, allowing them to allocate energy to dispersal. elevated stress may play a role in regulation of immune responses used by invasive species. rna sequencing of spleen tissue from cane toads subjected to an acute lps challenge revealed gene ... | 2018 | 30030104 |
| bufadienolide toxicity in a child following cane toad egg ingestion. | 2018 | 30039591 | |
| draft genome assembly of the invasive cane toad, rhinella marina. | the cane toad (rhinella marina formerly bufo marinus) is a species native to central and south america that has spread across many regions of the globe. cane toads are known for their rapid adaptation and deleterious impacts on native fauna in invaded regions. however, despite an iconic status, there are major gaps in our understanding of cane toad genetics. the availability of a genome would help to close these gaps and accelerate cane toad research. | 2018 | 30101298 |
| cane toads beneath bird rookeries: utilization of a natural disturbance by an invasive species. | many invasive species exploit anthropogenically disturbed habitats, but most of those taxa evolved long before humans. presumably, then, an ability to use natural (non-anthropogenic) disturbances pre-adapted invaders to a world later degraded by people. studies on invasive species in naturally disturbed habitats thus can clarify the ancestral niche of invaders. in the australian tropics, metallic starlings aplonis metallica nest communally in emergent rainforest trees during the wet-season, and ... | 2018 | 30108623 |
| the development of toad toxins as potential therapeutic agents. | toxins from toads have long been known to contain rich chemicals with great pharmaceutical potential. recent studies have shown more than 100 such chemical components, including peptides, steroids, indole alkaloids, bufogargarizanines, organic acids, and others, in the parotoid and skins gland secretions from different species of toads. in traditional chinese medicine (tcm), processed toad toxins have been used for treating various diseases for hundreds of years. modern studies, including both e ... | 2018 | 30127299 |
| spinal arthritis in cane toads across the australian landscape. | loss of fitness can be a consequence of selection for rapid dispersal ability in invasive species. increased prevalence of spinal arthritis may occur in cane toad populations at the invasion front as a cost of increased invasiveness, but our knowledge of the ecological drivers of this condition is lacking. we aimed to determine the factors explaining the prevalence of spinal arthritis in populations across the australian landscape. we studied populations across a gradient of invasion histories. ... | 2018 | 30127531 |
| vision fine-tunes preparation for landing in the cane toad, rhinella marina. | in toad hopping, the hindlimbs generate the propulsive force for take-off while the forelimbs resist the impact forces associated with landing. preparing to perform a safe landing, in which impact forces are managed appropriately, likely involves the integration of multiple types of sensory feedback. in toads, vestibular and/or proprioceptive feedback is critical for coordinated landing; however, the role of vision remains unclear. to clarify this, we compare pre-landing forelimb muscle activati ... | 2018 | 30258029 |
| interactions between corticosterone phenotype, environmental stressor pervasiveness and irruptive movement-related survival in the cane toad. | animals use irruptive movement to avoid exposure to stochastic and pervasive environmental stressors that impact fitness. beneficial irruptive movements transfer individuals from high-stress areas (conferring low fitness) to alternative localities that may improve survival or reproduction. however, being stochastic, environmental stressors can limit an animal's preparatory capacity to enhance irruptive movement performance. thus individuals must rely on pre-existing, or rapidly induced, physiolo ... | 2018 | 30352824 |
| effects of skin region and relative lipophilicity on percutaneous absorption in the toad rhinella marina. | owing to the dynamic interaction between frog skin and the environment, xenobiotics in frog habitats are of particular concern, and knowledge of percutaneous absorption in frog skin is necessary for risk-mitigation purposes. baseline transdermal kinetics in adult aquatic and arboreal frog species have recently been reported; however, there is little information regarding absorption kinetics in adult terrestrial species. the present study investigated the in vitro absorption kinetics of 3 model c ... | 2019 | 30370675 |
| a taxonomically and geographically constrained information base limits non-native reptile and amphibian risk assessment: a systematic review. | for many taxa, new records of non-native introductions globally occur at a near exponential rate. we undertook a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications on non-native herpetofauna, to assess the information base available for assessing risks of future invasions, resulting in 836 relevant papers. the taxonomic and geographic scope of the literature was also compared to a published database of all known invasions globally. we found 1,116 species of herpetofauna, 95% of which were present i ... | 2018 | 30425887 |
| age- and size-dependent resistance to chytridiomycosis in the invasive cane toad rhinella marina. | in australia, the cane toad rhinella marina and chytrid fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (bd) are examples of invasive species that have had dramatic impacts on native fauna. however, little is known about the interaction between bd and cane toads. we aimed to explore the interaction of these 2 species in 3 parts. first, we collated data from the literature on bd infection in wild cane toads. second, we tested the susceptibility of recently metamorphosed cane toads to bd infection. finally, ... | 2018 | 30460917 |
| ecological patterns in the skin microbiota of frogs from tropical australia. | the microbiota of frog skin can play an important role in protecting against diseases and parasites. the frog skin microbial community represents a complex mix of microbes that are promoted by the chemical environment of the frog skin and influenced by the animal's immediate past environment. the microbial communities of six species of frogs sampled from the campus of charles darwin university (cdu) were more similar within species than between species. the microbiota of the introduced cane toad ... | 2018 | 30464823 |
| morphological and biochemical characterization of the cutaneous poison glands in toads (rhinella marina group) from different environments. | amphibian defence against predators and microorganisms is directly related to cutaneous glands that produce a huge number of different toxins. these glands are distributed throughout the body but can form accumulations in specific regions. when grouped in low numbers, poison glands form structures similar to warts, quite common in the dorsal skin of bufonids (toads). when accumulated in large numbers, the glands constitute protuberant structures known as macroglands, among which the parotoids ar ... | 2018 | 30479646 |
| genomic characterisation of cuiaba and charleville viruses: arboviruses (family rhabdoviridae, genus sripuvirus) infecting reptiles and amphibians. | viruses in the family rhabdoviridae are ecologically very diverse, infecting mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, plants and a wide range of other terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. the genus sripuvirus currently comprises five viruses that appear to circulate in transmission cycles involving reptiles and sandflies. here, we report an analysis of the complete coding sequences of cuiaba virus (cuiv), isolated from an amphibian (bufo marinus) collected in brazil, and charleville virus (chvv), isola ... | 2019 | 30511209 |
| cane toads (rhinella marina) rely on water access, not drought tolerance, to invade xeric australian environments. | the invasion of habitats with novel environmental challenges may require physiological tolerances not seen in conspecifics from the native range. we used a combination of field and laboratory-based experiments to assess physiological tolerance to limited water access at four sites distributed across the historical invasion path of cane toads (rhinella marina) in australia that, from east to west, alternated between mesic and seasonally xeric habitats. toads from all locations were well hydrated ... | 2019 | 30535812 |
| how many and when? optimising targeted gene flow for a step change in the environment. | targeted gene flow is an emerging conservation strategy that involves introducing individuals with particular traits to places where these traits are of benefit. one obvious application is to adapt a recipient population to a known threat, but questions remain as to how best to achieve this. here, we vary timing and size of the introduction to maximise our objective - survival of the recipient population's genome. we explore a generic population model as well as a specific example - the northern ... | 2019 | 30618109 |
| rhinella marina oocytes: a suitable alternative expression system for functional characterization of aquaglyceroporins. | amphibian oocytes have been extensively used for heterologous expression of membrane proteins for studying their biochemical and biophysical properties. so far, xenopus laevis is the main amphibian used as oocytes source to express aquaglyceroporins in order to assess water and solutes permeability. however, this well-established amphibian model represents a threat to the biodiversity in many countries, especially in those from tropical regions. for that reason, the import of xenopus laevis is s ... | 2019 | 30631140 |
| dare to eat cane toad eggs? | 2019 | 30637866 | |
| induction of phytoalexins and proteins related to pathogenesis in plants treated with extracts of cutaneous secretions of southern amazonian bufonidae amphibians. | cutaneous secretions produced by amphibians of the family bufonidae are rich sources of bioactive compounds that can be useful as new chemical templates for agrochemicals. in crop protection, the use of elicitors to induce responses offers the prospect of durable, broad-spectrum disease control using the plant's own resistance. therefore, we evaluated the potential of methanolic extracts of cutaneous secretions of two species of amphibians of the family bufonidae found in the amazon biome-rhaebo ... | 2019 | 30653617 |
| novel habitat causes a shift to diurnal activity in a nocturnal species. | plastic responses may allow individuals to survive and reproduce in novel environments, and can facilitate the establishment of viable populations. but can novel environments reveal plasticity by causing a shift in a behavior as fundamental and conspicuous as daily activity? we studied daily activity times near the invasion front of the cane toad (rhinella marina), an invasive species that has colonized much of northern australia. cane toads in australia are nocturnal, probably because diurnal a ... | 2019 | 30659222 |
| marinobufagenin extraction from rhinella marina toad glands: alternative approaches for a systematized strategy. | marinobufagenin is a bufadienolide compound detected mainly in skin and parotoid gland secretions of rhinella marina (l.) toad. bufadienolides regulate the na+ /k+ -atpase pump by inhibiting the cardiotonic steroid dependent-site and act as cardiac inotropes with vasoconstrictive properties. marinobufagenin and other bufadienolides, such as telocinobufagin and bufalin, are thought to be found endogenously in mammals in salt-sensitive hypertensive states such as essential hypertension, congestive ... | 2019 | 30667156 |
| seasonal comparison of the neuromuscular junction morphology of bufo marinus. | at mammalian neuromuscular junctions (nmjs), prolonged inactivity leads to muscle denervation and atrophy. by contrast, amphibian nmjs do not show such degeneration even though they can remain in a state of drought-imposed dormancy (hibernation) for many years. we have previously reported that during the dry season, toad (bufo marinus) nmjs display decreased sensitivity to extracellular calcium-dependent neurotransmitter release, which leads to minimal neuromuscular transmission. in the present ... | 2019 | 30737989 |
| survey of ranavirus and batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in introduced frogs in hawaii, usa. | ranaviruses and the fungus batrachochytrium dendrobatidis are globally important agents of emerging infectious amphibian diseases. amphibians on oahu, the hawaiian island with the greatest potential for disease introduction through the movement of goods and people, have never been surveyed for ranaviruses or b. dendrobatidis. we surveyed all five species of frogs on oahu, hawaii, us for these pathogens. of 325 individuals sampled from six sites, none were positive for ranavirus. however, we foun ... | 2019 | 30768916 |
| patterns of fluctuating asymmetry in the limbs of anurans. | it has been hypothesized that fluctuating asymmetry (fa) may provide an indication of the functional importance of structures within an organism, with structures that more strongly impact fitness being more symmetric. based on this idea, we predicted that for tetrapods in which the forelimbs and hindlimbs play an unequal role in locomotion, the less functionally important limb set should display higher levels of fa. we conducted a multispecies test of this hypothesis in anurans (frogs and toads) ... | 2019 | 30779370 |
| rapid adaptation to cold in the invasive cane toad rhinella marina. | understanding rapid adaptation to novel environments is essential as we face increasing climatic change. invasive species are an ideal system for studying adaptation as they are typically introduced to novel environments where they must adapt if they are to persist. we used the invasive cane toad, rhinella marina, to investigate the contribution of plasticity and evolution to rapid adaptation in a novel environment. rhinella marina is a neotropical toad that has invaded areas with climates outsi ... | 2019 | 30800317 |
| the things they carried: the pathogenic effects of old and new parasites following the intercontinental invasion of the australian cane toad (rhinella marina). | brought to australia in 1935 to control agricultural pests (from french guiana, via martinique, barbados, jamaica, puerto rico and hawai'i), repeated stepwise translocations of small numbers of founders enabled the cane toad (rhinella marina) to escape many parasites and pathogens from its native range. however, the infective organisms that survived the journey continue to affect the dynamics of the toad in its new environment. in australia, the native-range lungworm rhabdias pseudosphaerocephal ... | 2017 | 30951567 |
| the cost of chemical defence: the impact of toxin depletion on growth and behaviour of cane toads ( rhinella marina). | many animals capable of deploying chemical defences are reluctant to use them, suggesting that synthesis of toxins imposes a substantial cost. typically, such costs have been quantified by measuring the elevation in metabolic rate induced by toxin depletion (i.e. during replenishment of toxin stores). more generally, we might expect that toxin depletion will induce shifts in a broad suite of fitness-relevant traits. in cane toads ( rhinella marina), toxic compounds that protect against predators ... | 2019 | 31088275 |
| biochemical and biological profile of parotoid secretion of the amazonian rhinella marina (anura: bufonidae). | skin secretions of frogs have a high chemical complexity. they have diverse types of biomolecules, such as proteins, peptides, biogenic amines, and alkaloids. these compounds protect amphibians' skin against growth of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa and participate in defense system against attack from predators. therewith, this work performed biochemical and biological profile of macroglands parotoid secretion from cane toad. for poison analysis, we performed molecular exclusion and reverse phase ... | 2019 | 31214612 |