Controlling cane toads by turning their own weapons against them

通过用自己的武器对付甘蔗蟾蜍来控制它们

• 批准号: LP150100501
• 负责人: Prof Richard Shine
• 金额: $ 49.01万
• 依托单位: The University of Sydney
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: Linkage Projects
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/RGS/Web/Grants/LP150100501
• 关键词: Controlling; cane; toads; turning; their

This project aims to prevent cane toads, which are causing ecological havoc across tropical Australia, from breeding successfully. Attempts to control toad populations have had little impact, but recent research has revealed a new possibility — exploiting the toads' own weapons for intraspecific conflict. Larval cane toads compete intensely with other larval cane toads and as a result, have evolved a way to kill off their competitors. Toad tadpoles produce chemicals that have devastating effects on younger members of their own species, but not on native species. By deploying those chemicals, this project could develop a novel and powerful form of invader control.

该项目旨在防止甘蔗蟾蜍成功繁殖，甘蔗蟾蜍在澳大利亚热带地区造成生态破坏。控制蟾蜍数量的尝试收效甚微，但最近的研究揭示了一种新的可能性——利用蟾蜍自己的武器来进行种内冲突。甘蔗蟾蜍幼虫与其他甘蔗蟾蜍幼虫激烈竞争，因此进化出了一种杀死竞争对手的方法。蟾蜍蝌蚪产生的化学物质对自己物种的年轻成员有毁灭性的影响，但对本地物种却没有。通过部署这些化学物质，该项目可以开发出一种新颖而强大的入侵控制形式。