Ecological immunization: in situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ward-Fear G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4785923 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Ecological immunization: in situ training of free-ranging predatory lizards reduces their vulnerability to invasive toxic prey.
Ward-Fear G G Pearson D J DJ Brown G P GP Rangers Balanggarra B Shine R R
Biology letters 20160101 1
In Australia, large native predators are fatally poisoned when they ingest invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina). As a result, the spread of cane toads has caused catastrophic population declines in these predators. Immediately prior to the arrival of toads at a floodplain in the Kimberley region, we induced conditioned taste aversion in free-ranging varanid lizards (Varanus panoptes), by offering them small cane toads. By the end of the 18-month study, only one of 31 untrained lizards had survi ...[more]
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