Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR06173
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 34(5)

Acoustic attractants enhance trapping success for cane toads

L. Schwarzkopf A B and R. A. Alford A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: lin.schwarzkopf@jcu.edu.au

Wildlife Research 34(5) 366-370 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR06173
Submitted: 18 December 2006  Accepted: 13 July 2007   Published: 6 September 2007

Abstract

Cane toads are an introduced pest in many tropical locations around the world, but, surprisingly, there are few methods available for their control. Highly effective trapping may provide a means of controlling toads, either alone or as part of an integrated pest-management scheme. Existing cane toad trap designs use lights to lure insects to traps, and toads enter the traps to feed. Using a large, outdoor experimental arena and playback of cane toad mating calls, we examined the possibility that cane toads, like many other anurans, are attracted to conspecific mating vocalisations. We found that both male and female toads were attracted to quiet (47dB(A) at 1 m) playbacks, whereas only males responded to loud (67dB(A) at 1 m) playbacks with phonotaxis. We also tested whether playbacks broadcast from traps would be useful attractants to traps in the field. We captured three times more toads in traps with playbacks than in traps without playbacks, suggesting that playbacks can be used to enhance trapping success for toads.


Acknowledgements

We thank M. French, J. Parsons, A. Langdon, L. Hodgson, L. Collings, and L. Werth for assistance with data collection. Funding for the study was provided by the Department of Environment and Heritage National Heritage Trust. Experiments with toads were conducted under James Cook University Animal Ethics Permit A890.


References

Alford R. A., Cohen M. P., Crossland M. R., Hearnden M. N., James D., and Schwarzkopf L. (1995). Population biology of Bufo marinus in northern Australia. In ‘Wetland Research in the Wet–Dry Tropics of Australia’. (Ed. M. Finlayson.) Office of the Supervising Scientist Report 101, Canberra, Australia.

Baskin Y. (2002). ‘A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat of Species Invasions.’ (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Boland, C. R. J. (2004). Introduced cane toads Bufo marinus are active nest predators and competitors of rainbow bee-eaters Merops ornatus: observational and experimental evidence. Biological Conservation 120, 53–62.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Bradbury J. W., and Vehrenkamp S. L. (1998). ‘The Principles of Animal Communication.’ (Sinauer: Sunderland, MA.)

Burnett, S. (1997). Colonizing cane toads cause population declines in native predators: reliable anecdotal information and management implications. Pacific Conservation Biology 3, 65–72.
Carmichael P., and Williams W. (1991). ‘Florida’s Fabulous Reptiles and Amphibians.’ (World Publications: Tampa, FL.)

Catling, P. C. , Hertog, A. L. , Burt, R. J. , Wombey, J. C. , and Forrester, R. I. (1999). The short term effect of cane toads (Bufo marinus) on native fauna in the Gulf Country of the Northern Territory. Wildlife Research 26, 161–185.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | FrogWatch (2006). Northern Australian cane toad site. www.frogwatch.org.au/canetoads/

Gerhardt, C. H. (1994). The evolution of vocalization in frogs and toads. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 25, 293–324.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Lever C. (2001). ‘The Cane Toad: the History and Ecology of a Successful Colonist.’ (Westbury Publishing: Yorkshire, UK.)

McCallum H. (2006). Modelling potential control strategies for cane toads. In ‘Proceedings of the IA-CRC/CSIRO/QLD NRM&W Cane Toad Workshop, June 2006, Brisbane’. (Ed. K. L. Molloy.) (Invasive Animals CRC: Canberra.)

McLeod R. (2004). ‘Counting the Cost: Impact of Invasive Animals in Australia 2004.’ (Cooperative Research Centre for Pest Animal Control: Canberra.)

Molloy K. L., and Henderson W. R. (Eds) (1991). ‘Science of Cane Toad Invasion and Control. Proceedings of the Invasive Animals CRC/CSIRO/Qld NRM&W Cane Toad Workshop, June 2006, Brisbane.’ (Invasive Animals CRC: Canberra.)

Murray, B. R. , and Hose, G. C. (2005). Life-history and ecological correlates of decline and extinction in the endemic Australian frog fauna. Austral Ecology 30, 564–571.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Schwarzkopf L., and Alford R. A. (2006). Increasing the effectiveness of toad traps: olfactory and acoustic attractants. In ‘Proceedings of the IA-CRC/CSIRO/QLD NRM&W Cane Toad Workshop, June 2006, Brisbane’. (Ed. K. L. Molloy.) (Invasive Animals CRC: Canberra.)

Schwartz, J. J. , Buchanan, B. , and Gerhardt, H. C. (2001). Female mate choice in the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) in three experimental environments. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 49, 443–455.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Taylor R., and Edwards G. (Eds) (2005). review of the impact and control of cane toads in Australia with recommendations for future research and management approaches. Report to the Vertebrate Pests Committee from the National Cane Toad Taskforce, Canberra.

Watson M., and Woinarski J. (2003). preliminary assessment of impacts of cane toads on terrestrial vertebrate fauna in Kakadu National Park. Report to Kakadu Research Advisory Committee, November 2002.

Werren, G. L. , and Trenerry, M. P. (1993). Size and diet of Bufo marinus in rainforest of northeastern Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 34, 240.
Zar J. H. (1984). ‘Biostatistical Analysis.’ (Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.)