The thermal dependency of locomotor performance evolves rapidly within an invasive species

Georgia K. Kosmala, Gregory P. Brown, Keith A. Christian, Cameron M. Hudson, Richard Shine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)
51 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Biological invasions can stimulate rapid shifts in organismal performance, via both plasticity and adaptation. We can distinguish between these two proximate mechanisms by rearing offspring from populations under identical conditions and measuring their locomotor abilities in standardized trials. We collected adult cane toads (Rhinella marina) from invasive populations that inhabit regions of Australia with different climatic conditions. We bred those toads and raised their offspring under common-garden conditions before testing their locomotor performance. At high (but not low) temperatures, offspring of individuals from a hotter location (northwestern Australia) outperformed offspring of conspecifics from a cooler location (northeastern Australia). This disparity indicates that, within less than 100 years, thermal performance in cane toads has adapted to the novel abiotic challenges that cane toads have encountered during their invasion of tropical Australia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4403-4408
Number of pages6
JournalEcology and Evolution
Volume8
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2018

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