Rapidly evolved traits enable new conservation tools: perspectives from the cane toad invasion of Australia

Abstract

Natural populations can show rapid adaptive responses to intense (human-mediated) environmental change. The potential for exploiting rapidly evolved traits for conservation management has been often discussed but rarely implemented. Capitalizing on a well-studied biological invasion, we here explore the idea that rapid phenotypic change in the invaders, their pathogens, and the native biota provide opportunities for managers to control invader abundance and buffer adverse impacts on native wildlife. Intensive studies of the invasion of tropical Australia by cane toads (Rhinella marina) have identified newly evolved vulnerabilities that we could exploit for toad control; and newly evolved resilience of native wildlife that we could exploit for impact reduction. For example, distinctive phenotypes of toads at the expanding range edge enhance dispersal rate but reduce reproductive output, intraspecific competitive ability, and immunocompetence; and the evolution of larval cannibalism creates opportunities not only for species-specific trapping of toad tadpoles, but also could be exploited (when allied to emerging CRISPR-Cas9 techniques) to intensify intraspecific conflict in invasive toads. That is, we could use the invasive species to control their own populations. This case study illustrates the potential of detailed basic research to identify novel approaches for conservation.