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Australia
Image source: smithsonianmag.com
Environmental Impacts:
They have caused large environmental harm by bringing diseases to the area around them and have not shown no effects to the cane beetle problem, as they were meant to solve it. These toads are also poisonous and have decreased native species, such as the Argus monitor who dropped up to 90% in population after the toads came to their habitat. Cane toads have also poisoned humans and pets that touch them because these toads have skin gland secretions called bufotoxin that irritates our skin and can burn our eyes. The native predators in Australia aren't adapted to the Cane toads toxins either, which are the toads main defense mechanisms. Since the toads have this main defense mechanism they don't hide from predators, making them targeted and exposing the predators to the toxins. Some predators, like the red-bellied black snake have evolved to have an increased resistance to the toads toxins and also a decreased preference to them as prey.
Cane Toad
Cane Toad
Introduction to Australia:
The cane toad is native to South America and the bottom part of the United states. They were introduced to Australia purposely by Sugar Research Australia in hopes to control the gray-backed cane beetle that is very damaging to sugarcane because they feed on the roots. However, since these toads were transported from Hawaii, they have grown to over 200 million in population. The spread was slow at first since being introduced in 1935, but by 1959 they had settled in most of Queensland's east coast. The gulf of Carpentaria had them in 1964, in 2001 the wetlands in Kakadu National Park had them and even the Torres strait Islands had them in 2019, probably brought in by boat.
How Australia has tried to Control to invasion of these toads:
Most attempts to reduce the cane toads population have been unsuccessful so far. One thing they have tried was trapping, but this oftenly only improved the conditions for the toads that weren't trapped. One promising test was at Australia Academy of Science, where some research found that infecting them with parasites will eliminate 30%
of the babies. Another reason it was so hard to find a solution was that most things that take care of the toad problem would also hurt frogs.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases
Created by Olivia
Feral European Rabbit
The Feral European Rabbit was introduced into Australia in the late 19th century from France and Spain. They were brought here so the Australians could hunt them for their fur and meat. But this came at a cost, because they can rapidly produce offspring at a young age; over 200 million Feral Rabbits inhabited Australia. It only took the 50 years to spread all across Australia and because of these growing numbers they destroyed crops and land which lead to soil erosion. They are also very adaptive which was a main reason their population grew at alarming rates. They also affected agriculture and plants by their overgrazing. These rabbits also contributed to the decline of their native animal species and native plants. They have tried many things to get rid of them such as using fences, poisons and even pathogens. But their efforts have been unsuccessful.
Created by Rylan
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