10.5061/DRYAD.42QQ0
Hudson, Cameron M.
University of Sydney
McCurry, Matthew R.
Monash University
Lundgren, Petra
Monash University
McHenry, Colin R.
Monash University
Shine, Rick
University of Sydney
Data from: Constructing an invasion machine: the rapid evolution of a
dispersal-enhancing phenotype during the cane toad invasion of Australia
Dryad
dataset
2017
Cane toad
Bufo marinus
dispersal phenotype
Rapid evolution
Rhinella marina
2017-08-30T00:00:00Z
2017-08-30T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156950
396616 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Biological invasions can induce rapid evolutionary change. As cane toads
(Rhinella marina) have spread across tropical Australia over an 80-year
period, their rate of invasion has increased from around 15 to 60 km per
annum. Toads at the invasion front disperse much faster and further than
conspecifics from range-core areas, and their offspring inherit that rapid
dispersal rate. We investigated morphological changes that have
accompanied this dramatic acceleration, by conducting three-dimensional
morphometric analyses of toads from both range-core and invasion-front
populations. Morphology of heads, limbs, pectoral girdles and pelvic
girdles differed significantly between toads from the two areas, ranging
from 0.5% to 16.5% difference in mean bone dimensions between populations,
with invasion-front toads exhibiting wider forelimbs, narrower hindlimbs
and more compact skulls. Those changes plausibly reflect an increased
reliance on bounding (multiple short hops in quick succession) rather than
separate large leaps. Within an 80-year period, invasive cane toads have
converted the basic anuran body plan – which evolved for occasional large
leaps to evade predators – into a morphotype better-suited to sustained
long-distance travel.
Landmark points for cane toad bonesA collection of landmarked .pts files
for all cane toad bones used in this study.Landmark points.zipMorphologika
output filesOutput from generalized Procrustes analysis in Morphologika
(version 2.5) on landmark data