Spawning site selection by feral cane toads (Bufo marinus) at an invasion front in tropical Australia

M. Hagman and R. Shine
Austral Ecology, 31, 5, 551-558, 2006-08
Spawning sites are a critical and often scarce resource for aquatic-breeding amphibians, including invasive species such as the cane toad (Bufo marinus). If toads select spawning sites based on habitat characteristics, those characteristics can be potentially manipulated to either enhance or reduce their suitability as breeding sites. A study surveyed 25 spawning sites used by cane toads, and 25 adjacent unused sites, in an area of tropical Australia recently invaded by this species. Water chemistry (pH, conductivity, salinity, turbidity) was virtually identical between the two sets of waterbodies, but habitat characteristics were very different. Toads selectively oviposited in shallow pools with gradual rather than steep slopes, and with open (unvegetated) gradually sloping muddy banks. They avoided flowing water, and pools with steep surrounds.