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As invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) spread across Australia, we urgently need effective ways to reduce the impact of toads on native fauna. One potential approach is to target the chemical cues (pheromones) used by the pest species for communication. In particular, the ‘attraction cue’ relies on the strong cannibalistic response of toad tadpoles towards conspecific eggs and hatchlings. Chemicals released into the water by developing embryos can be mimicked using exudate from the parotoid (shoulder) glands of adult cane toads, and this toxin can be used to lure cane toad tadpoles into a trap without attracting native aquatic species. This method works well under controlled conditions in the laboratory, but we know very little about factors that influence the success of tadpole trapping in the field. Our extensive trapping trials showed strong responses to the attraction cue under a wide range of conditions, but with reduced trapping rates at low water temperature (particularly in Western Australian populations), for early-stage tadpoles, and if the bait is frozen prior to use. Efforts to control cane toads using toxin-baited traps should consider these factors when applying trapping protocols in the field.

Our knowledge of the conservation status of reptiles, the most diverse class of terrestrial vertebrates, has improved dramatically over the past decade, but still lags behind that of the other tetrapod groups. Here, we conduct the first comprehensive evaluation (~92% of the world’s ~1,714 described species) of the conservation status of skinks (Scincidae), a speciose reptile family with a worldwide distribution. Using International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria, we report that ~20% of species are threatened with extinction, and nine species are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild. The highest levels of threat are evident in Madagascar and the Neotropics, and in the subfamilies Mabuyinae, Eugongylinae and Scincinae. The vast majority of threatened skink species were listed based primarily on their small geographic ranges (Criterion B, 83%; Criterion D2, 13%). Although the population trend of 42% of species was stable, 14% have declining populations. The key threats to skinks are habitat loss due to agriculture, invasive species, and biological resource use (e.g., hunting, timber harvesting). The distributions of 61% of species do not overlap with protected areas. Despite our improved knowledge of the conservation status of the world’s skinks, 8% of species remain to be assessed, and 14% are listed as Data Deficient. The conservation status of almost a quarter of the world’s skink species thus remains unknown. We use our updated knowledge of the conservation status of the group to develop and outline the priorities for the conservation assessment and management of the world’s skink species.

The population dynamics of an alien species can be heterogeneous across a geographically widespread invasion– and thus, the effectiveness of alternative control methods can vary. Research in tropical Australia has concluded that hand-collecting adult cane toads (Rhinella marina) is unlikely to offer a useful means of control, because the offtake rates needed to significantly reduce toad abundance are not achievable. Our data from southern (temperate-zone) Australia are more encouraging. We captured, marked and released toads in sites soon to be “toad-busted” by volunteer groups, and compared the animals that were collected to those known to be present. The volunteers disproportionately collected adult rather than subadult toads, probably because larger animals are easier to find. A single night’s “toad-busting” by volunteers removed 28%–47% of local toads. If conducted several times a year, and combined with recently-developed methods to curtail recruitment (pheromone-based trapping of larvae), that offtake could massively reduce toad abundance and perhaps, eradicate isolated populations at the southern margins of the cane toad invasion.

A great diversity of parasites, from viruses and bacteria to a range of remarkable eukaryotic organisms, exploit reptile and amphibian hosts. Recent increases in the emergence of infectious disease have revealed the importance of understanding the effects of interactions between hosts and their parasites. Here we review the effects of parasite infection on a range of demographic, behavioural, genomic and physiological factors in reptile and amphibian species. Reviewing these parasite roles collectively, and prioritising areas for research, advances our ecological understanding and guides direction for conservation in a time of rapid species decline. Poorly resolved systems include Gymnophionan amphibians and Crocodilian hosts, in addition to viral and bacterial parasites. Future research should seek to understand processes enabling population recovery and examining synergistic interactions of parasites with fragmentation, climate change and other processes that threaten species persistence.

Containing the spread of established invasive species is critical for minimizing their ecological impact. Effective containment requires sensitive sampling methods capable of detecting new introductions when invaders are at low density. Here we explore whether environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling could be used as a surveillance tool to detect new incursions of aquatic invasive species on offshore islands. We develop an eDNA molecular assay for invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) in Australia, validate our assay on the mainland, and apply it to an offshore island (Moreton Island) that is a target of ongoing cane toad surveillance. Our eDNA assay correctly identified four mainland sites at which cane toads were observed, as well as a fifth site within 1 km of known populations. Five additional sites outside the cane toad’s current distribution tested negative for cane toad eDNA. Site occupancy detection models indicated that two water samples and three qPCR replicates were sufficient to achieve a cumulate detection probability > 0.95. Applying our eDNA assay to samples from 19 sites on an offshore island over a 2-year period revealed the absence of cane toad eDNA, in line with our current understanding of cane toad distribution. Our results suggest that eDNA sampling could be strategically applied to meet the Australian Commonwealth’s objective of maintaining cane toad-free offshore islands.

Understanding how invasive species flourish under climatic conditions outside those found within their native range can inform management. In southeastern Australia, cane toads (Rhinella marina) are spreading into montane areas cooler than have been predicted to be suitable. We monitored the presence of active toads in two high-elevation sites (750–1010 m above sea level [asl]) and two adjacent low-elevation sites (150–210 m asl) in northeastern New South Wales over spring and summer. We radio-tracked 28 field-collected adult toads (n = 5–9 toads per site) and quantified their thermoregulatory opportunities and body temperatures. Toads were active at low-elevation sites in spring, but were not seen in high-elevation sites until late summer. At low elevations, toads had access to a wide range of temperatures and selected cool diurnal refugia. In montane sites, toads had less control over their temperatures, because thermal differentials between exposed and sheltered microhabitats were smaller. Overall though, body temperatures of toads at high-elevation sites in summer were not different to those of conspecifics at lower elevations in spring. As a result, toads at high elevations moved as far (mean daily displacement around 50 m) as did low-elevation conspecifics. Toads in high elevations spent the day in superficial shelter, often partly exposed. Thus, although toads only appear in high-elevation sites seasonally, their behaviour at those sites (spending the day exposed; moving extensively at night) likely exacerbates their ecological impact by bringing them to the attention of vulnerable native predators.

Laboratory experiments have shown that the viability of embryos of the invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina) can be reduced by exposure to chemical cues from older conspecific larvae. These effects (very strong in laboratory trials) may offer an exciting new approach to controlling this problematic invasive species in Australia. However, the degree to which the method works in natural environments has yet to be assessed.Our experiments in the laboratory and in seminatural outdoor waterbodies show that chemical cues from tadpoles do indeed suppress the growth, development, and survival of conspecific larvae that are exposed as embryos and do so in a dose‐dependent manner; higher tadpole densities cause greater suppression of embryos.In seminatural outdoor waterbodies, suppressor‐exposed tadpoles were less than half as likely to survive to metamorphosis as were controls, and were much smaller when they did so and hence, less likely to survive the metamorph stage. Additionally, female cane toads were less likely to oviposit in a waterbody containing free‐ranging (but not cage‐enclosed) tadpoles, suggesting that the presence of tadpoles (rather than the chemical cues they produce) may discourage oviposition.Broadly, our results suggest that the suppression effect documented in laboratory studies does indeed occur in the field also, and hence that we may be able to translate that approach to develop new and more effective ways to reduce rates of recruitment of peri‐urban populations of cane toads in their invasive range., When cane toad eggs are exposed to cane toad tadpoles during development, the eggs often experience stunted development and do not produce viable tadpoles. While adult toads will avoid laying their eggs in ponds containing toad tadpoles, this behavior does not occur if the tadpoles are contained within a small net. This is encouraging for the control of cane toads in Australia as it suggests that adult toads can be manipulated into laying their eggs into ponds where their clutch will not develop into successful tadpoles.

Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone are isolated pockets of moist habitat in the Blue Mountains region of Australia. Although endangered, few detailed studies have been conducted on their distinctive habitats and wildlife. We surveyed 10 swamps annually for 3 years to characterise conditions within swamps, surrounding woodland, and the transitional zone in between. Swamps were distinguished by waterlogged soil, a dense sedge understorey of live vegetation, and a virtual absence of trees, logs and rocks. In contrast, woodland had dry soil, a sparse understorey, many trees and logs, and much dead vegetation. The transitional zone was intermediate in these respects. Faunal species included 5 mammals (29 records), 17 reptiles (452 records) and 1 amphibian (13 records), with lizards comprising >90% of all faunal records. Paradoxically, the sole endangered vertebrate, the Blue Mountains Water Skink (Eulamprus leuraensis) was the most abundant taxon we recorded: a habitat specialist found primarily within swamps (95% of records) and absent from woodland. Other Eulamprus species in the transitional zone (E. heatwolei) and woodland (E. quoyii) occurred at much lower densities. Because E. leuraensis is abundant within montane swamps but absent from surrounding habitats, any disturbance to swamps is likely to imperil populations of this endangered reptile.

Understanding the factors that affect an invasive species’ viability and distribution has vital implications for biocontrol. In Australia, invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) are anecdotally reported to utilise commercial beehives as a prey resource, but that interaction has never been studied in detail. We investigated the impact of apiaries on cane toads in northern New South Wales via mark-recapture surveys, dissections, and camera-trap observations. Cane toads were the most frequent visitors to apiaries, followed by bandicoots and corvid birds. Cane toads at apiaries were more abundant and in better body condition (i.e., larger mass relative to snout-urostyle length) than were toads at nearby control sites. Toads at beehives contained more prey items per stomach (mostly bees, which were never recorded in the stomachs of toads from other sites), and adult female toads at beehives had larger livers and ovaries relative to body size. We conclude that commercial apiaries attract cane toads, influence their diets, and increase their feeding rates and reproductive capacity. Like other habitat modifications wrought by agricultural activities, honey bee colonies provide resources that facilitate the spread of cane toads through an otherwise harsh landscape matrix. Minor modifications to beehives could exclude toads, thereby eliminating their positive impact on the invader.

The distributional limits of many ectothermic species are set by thermal tolerances of early‐developmental stages in the life history; embryos and larvae often are less able to buffer environmental variation than are conspecific adults. In pond‐breeding amphibians, for example, cold water may constrain viability of eggs and larvae, even if adults can find suitable thermal conditions in terrestrial niches. Invasive species provide robust model systems for exploring these questions, because we can quantify thermal challenges at the expanding range edge (from field surveys) and larval responses to thermal conditions (in the laboratory). Our studies on invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) at the southern (cool‐climate) edge of their expanding range in Australia show that available ponds often average around 20°C during the breeding period, 10°C lower than in many areas of the toads’ native range, or in the Australian tropics. Our laboratory experiments showed that cane toad eggs and larvae cannot develop successfully at 16°C, but hatching success and larval survival rates were higher at 20°C than in warmer conditions. Lower temperatures slowed growth rates, increasing the duration of tadpole life, but also increased metamorph body mass. Water temperature also influenced metamorph body shape (high temperatures reduced relative limb length, head width, and body mass) and locomotor performance (increased speed from intermediate temperatures, longer hops from high temperatures). In combination with previous studies, our data suggest that lower water temperatures may enhance rather than reduce recruitment of cane toads, at least in areas where pond temperatures reach or exceed 20°C. That condition is fulfilled over a wide area of southern Australia, suggesting that the continuing expansion of this invasive species is unlikely to be curtailed by the impacts of relatively low water temperatures on the viability of early life‐history stages.

The magnitude of impact of an invasive species on native taxa, and the time course of recovery, depend on the native’s ability to adjust to the invader. Here, we examine the impact of a toxic invasive prey species (cane toad Rhinella marina) on a vulnerable top-predator (lace monitor Varanus varius) in southern Australia. Lace monitor populations crash as soon as toads invade, as occurs in related species in tropical Australia. The toad’s impact falls primarily on larger lizards, such that mean body sizes decline precipitously after toad arrival. Feeding trials with free-ranging lizards clarified the reasons for that size-biased vulnerability. Large lizards attacked novel prey more rapidly than did smaller conspecifics, especially in toad-naive populations. Small lizards were more cautious in investigating novel prey (more tongue flicks and bites prior to ingestion) and swallowed the item more slowly. These traits may allow smaller lizards to detect and avoid toad toxins. Seventy percent of monitors from toad-naive populations readily consumed dead cane toads (with parotoid glands removed) and 85 % consumed frogs. In contrast, no conspecifics from toad-exposed populations consumed toads whereas 40 % ate frogs. Following a single meal of toxic toad (typically eliciting illness), all monitors refused toads but 40 % continued to eat frogs. Lace monitors thus can rapidly learn taste aversion to cane toads. This behavioral plasticity enables survival of smaller lizards (that approach and process prey more cautiously than their larger relatives), and may explain this species’ recovery in long-term toad-colonized regions of northern Australia.

Far from their native ranges in the Americas, two invasive species come into contact in Australian waterbodies. Cane toads (Rhinella marina) fatally poison many anurophagous predators, whereas eastern mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki) voraciously consume anuran larvae. As cane toads spread south along Australia’s east coast, they are colonizing areas where mosquito fish are abundant. What happens when these two American invaders encounter each other in Australia? We tested the responses to toad tadpoles of mosquito fish from populations that were sympatric versus allopatric with cane toads. Toad-sympatric fish generally ignored toad tadpoles. Toad-allopatric fish initially consumed a few tadpoles, but rapidly developed an aversion to these toxic prey items. The laboratory-reared progeny of toad-allopatric fishes were more likely to approach toad tadpoles than were the offspring of toad-sympatric fishes, but the two groups learned toad-avoidance at similar rates. Thus, mosquito fish show an innate aversion to cane toad tadpoles (perhaps reflecting coevolution with North American bufonid taxa), as well as an ability to rapidly learn taste-aversion. Our comparisons among populations suggest that several decades of toad-free existence in Australia caused a decline in the fishes’ innate (heritable) aversion to toads, but did not affect the fishes’ capacity to learn toad-avoidance after an initial exposure. Any impact of mosquito fish on cane toads thus is likely to be transitory. The rapid (

© 2017 by The University of Chicago Press. All rights reserved. Our best hope of developing innovative methods to combat invasive species is likely to come from the study of high-profile invaders that have attracted intensive research not only into control, but also basic biology. Here we illustrate that point by reviewing current thinking about novel ways to control one of the world’s most well-studied invasions: that of the cane toad in Australia. Recently developed methods for population suppression include more effective traps based on the toad’s acoustic and pheromonal biology. New tools for containing spread include surveillance technologies (e.g., eDNA sampling and automated call detectors), as well as landscape-level barriers that exploit the toad’s vulnerability to desiccation— a strategy that could be significantly enhanced through the introduction of sedentary, rangecore genotypes ahead of the invasion front. New methods to reduce the ecological impacts of toads include conditioned taste aversion in free-ranging predators, gene banking, and targeted gene flow. Lastly, recent advances in gene editing and gene drive technology hold the promise of modifying toad phenotypes in ways that may facilitate control or buffer impact. Synergies between these approaches hold great promise for novel and more effective means to combat the toad invasion and its consequent impacts on biodiversity.

Like many invasive species, cane toads (Rhinella marina) in Australia concentrate in the disturbed habitats created by human activity, rather than in pristine areas. We surveyed cane toads in the wet–dry tropics of the Northern Territory to assess the abundances, body sizes, sexes, behaviour, hydration state and feeding rates of toads around buildings compared to those in areas remote from buildings, and conducted experimental trials to assess the effects of building-related variables (lights and increased toad densities) on the foraging success of toads. Toads around buildings were smaller than bushland conspecifics, and adult sex-ratios were female-biased. Toads were more sedentary around buildings than in the bush, but their feeding rates (based on direct observations and faeces production post-capture) were similar. That similarity, despite twofold-higher densities of competing toads around building, reflected the strong enhancement of feeding rates due to artificial lights attracting insects (in our experimental trials, a threefold increase regardless of the number of competing toads). Toads collected from around buildings were apparently in better hydric condition. Thus, access to water also may attract toads to buildings. The relative scarcity of adult male toads around buildings likely reflects waterbody-centred reproductive activities, whereas the concentration of females and juveniles around buildings is driven largely by access to the insects attracted by artificial light. We conclude that buildings enhance the persistence of cane toad populations and may facilitate their spread.

Physiological plasticity may facilitate invasion of novel habitats; but is such plasticity present in all populations of the invader or is it elicited only by specific climatic challenges? In cold-climate areas of Australia, invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) can rapidly acclimate to cool conditions. To investigate whether this physiological plasticity is found in all invasive cane toads or is only seen in cool climates, we measured the acclimation ability of toads from across Australia and the island of Hawai'i. We collected toads from the field and placed them at either 12 or 24°C for 12 h before measuring their righting response as a proxy for critical thermal minimum (CTmin). Toads from the coolest Australian region (New South Wales) demonstrated plasticity (as previously reported), with exposure to 12°C (vs. 24°C) decreasing CTmin by 2°C. In toads from other Australian populations, CTmins were unaffected by our thermal treatments. Hawai'ian toads from a cool, wet site also rapidly acclimated to cool conditions, whereas those from warmer and drier Hawai'ian sites did not. Thermal plasticity has diverged among populations of invasive cane toads, with rapid acclimation manifested only in two cool-climate populations from widely separated sites. Predictions about the potential range of invasive species thus must consider the possibility of geographic (intraspecific) heterogeneity in thermal plasticity; data from other parts of the species' range may fail to predict levels of plasticity elicited by thermal challenges.

Australia is a global hotspot of reptile diversity, hosting similar to 10% of the world's squamate (snake and lizard) species. Yet the conservation status of the Australian squamate fauna has not been assessed for >25 years; a period during which the described fauna has risen by similar to 40%. Here we provide the first comprehensive conservation assessment of Australian terrestrial squamates using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Most (86.4%; n = 819/948) Australian squamates were categorised as Least Concern, 4.5% were Data Deficient, and 7.1% (range 6.8%-11.3%, depending on the treatment of Data Deficient species) were threatened (3.0% Vulnerable, 2.7% Endangered, 1.1% Critically Endangered). This level of threat is low relative to the global average (similar to 18%). One species (Emoia nativitatis) was assessed as Extinct, and two species (Lepidodactylus listeri and Cryptoblepharus egeriae) are considered Extinct in the Wild: all three were endemic to Christmas Island. Most (75.1%) threat assessments were based on geographic range attributes, due to limited data on population trends or relevant proxies. Agriculture, fire, and invasive species were the threats that affected the most species, and there was substantial geographic variation in the number of species affected by each threat. Threatened species richness peaked on islands, in the Southern Alps, and across northern Australia. Data deficiency was greatest in northern Australia and in coastal Queensland. Approximately one-in-five threatened species were not represented in a single protected area. Our analyses shed light on the species, regions, and threats in most urgent need of conservation intervention.

Invasive species must respond appropriately to novel habitats as they expand their ranges. The degree of habitat novelty is likely to be the highest immediately following human-mediated range-expansion, which can move an individual very large distances beyond its home range within a short space of time. How does translocation affect those critically important initial colonists? We collected cane toads (Rhinella marina) in eastern Australia in heath and woodland habitats, simulated either short-distance or long-distance transport (level of transport stress) and then either returned toads to their exact collection point or reciprocally translocated them to a novel site. Following release, we radio-tracked toads for 5 days and recorded their shelter types and microhabitat use daily. We also examined the thermal and hydric conditions experienced by toads and tested if prey intake, stomach mass and body condition of translocated toads differed from those of resident conspecifics. Translocated toads used different types of diurnal shelters, were more exposed by day and experienced higher diurnal temperatures (but not more desiccating conditions). Analysis of stomach contents indicated that translocation per se did not reduce feeding rates, nor reduce body condition. However, toads exposed to higher transport stress (simulating long-distance displacement) exhibited changes to body condition and hydric balance. Shifts in toad shelter site use induced by translocation may increase the toads’ visibility to diurnal predators, thereby reducing toad survival but also exacerbating the ecological impact of toads during the initial phase of post-translocation dispersal. Each stage of the invasion process poses unique challenges for invading taxa, and very few species possess the full suite of behavioural, physiological or morphological traits required to pass through all stages of the invasion pathway. Although the study of invasion biology has grown exponentially, most research has focused on the determinants of invasion success during the later stages of establishment and spread, neglecting the earlier stages of transport and introduction. Understanding how species respond to all stages of the invasion process can clarify the non-random traits that allow certain species to become successful invaders.

Biological invasions transport organisms to novel environments; but how does the translocation process influence movement patterns of the invader? Plausibly, the stress of encountering a novel environment, or of the transport process, might induce rapid dispersal from the release site—potentially enhancing (or reducing) invader success and spread. We investigated the effect of transportation and release to novel environments on dispersal-relevant traits of one of the world’s most notorious invaders, the cane toad (Rhinella marina). We collected toads in northern New South Wales from heath and woodland habitats, manipulated the level of transport stress and either returned toads to their exact collection point (residents) or reciprocally translocated them to a novel site. Both translocation and the level of transport stress drastically altered toad dispersal rates for at least 5 days post-release. Translocated toads (depending on their level of transport stress and release habitat) moved on average two to five times further per day (mean range 67–148 m) than did residents (mean range 22–34 m). Translocated toads also moved on more days, and moved further from their release point than did resident toads, but did not move in straighter lines. A higher level of transport stress (simulating long-distance translocation) had no significant effect on movements of resident toads but amplified the dispersal of translocated toads only when released into woodland habitat. These behavioural shifts induced by translocation and transportation may affect an invader’s ability to colonise novel sites, and need to be incorporated into plans for invader control.

As a population expands into novel areas (as occurs in biological invasions), the range edge becomes dominated by rapidly dispersing individuals—thereby accelerating the rate of population spread. That acceleration has been attributed to evolutionary processes (natural selection and spatial sorting), to which we add a third complementary process: behavioural plasticity. Encountering environmental novelty may directly elicit an increased rate of dispersal. When we reciprocally translocated cane toads ( Rhinella marina ) among study sites in southern Australia, the transported animals massively increased dispersal rates relative to residents (to an extent similar to the evolved increase between range-core versus invasion-front toad populations in Australia). The responses of these translocated toads show that even range-core toads are capable of the long-distance dispersal rates of invasion-front conspecifics and suggest that rapid dispersal (rather than evolving de novo ) has simply been expanded from facultative to constitutive expression.

The highly permeable integument of amphibians renders them vulnerable to chemical characteristics of their environment, especially during the aquatic larval stage. As the cane toad (Rhinella marina, Bufonidae) invades southwards along the east coast of Australia, it is encountering waterbodies with highly variable conditions of temperature, pH, and salinity. Understanding the tolerance of toads to these conditions can clarify the likely further spread of the invader, as well as the adaptability of the species to novel environmental challenges. We measured salinity in waterbodies in the field and conducted laboratory trials to investigate the impacts of salinity on toad viability. Eggs and tadpoles from the southern invasion front tolerated the most saline conditions we found in potential spawning ponds during surveys [equivalent to 1200 ppm (3.5 % the salinity of seawater)]. Indeed, high-salinity treatments increased tadpole body sizes, accelerated metamorphosis, and improved locomotor ability of metamorphs (but did not affect metamorph morphology). At very low salinity [40 ppm (0.1 % seawater)], eggs hatched but larvae did not develop past Gosner stage 37. Our study shows that the egg and larval life stages of cane toads can tolerate wide variation in the salinity of natal ponds and that this aspect of waterbody chemistry is likely to facilitate rather than constrain continued southward expansion of the toad invasion front in eastern Australia.

The endangered Blue Mountains water skink (Eulamprus leuraensis), a habitat specialist known from approximately 60 threatened highland peat swamps, is the sole endemic vertebrate of the Blue Mountains region, Australia. We quantified the species’ habitat associations by surveying 10 such swamps annually for three years. We scored habitat features and trapped skinks, comparing habitat attributes of trap sites where skinks were and were not captured. The distribution of E. leuraensis was non-random: skinks were found at sites with high values for some variables (soil moisture, live vegetation, surface water, understorey density and numbers of burrows) and low values for others (dead vegetation, logs, rocks, bare ground, canopy cover, sunlight penetration and numbers of invertebrates), and were mostly found in sites that were close to surface water and far from trees and logs. Eulamprus leuraensis is widely distributed within swamps, with weak associations between microhabitat variation and skink presence. Skink abundance and mean body size were highest within swamp centres, decreasing towards the margins; larger skinks were found closer to water, gravid female skinks were found at wetter sites and juveniles occupied marginal habitat. Skinks were rarely recaptured >10 m from their original site, with adult males travelling further than adult females and juveniles. We developed a quick field detection method for managers to assess the likely presence of E. leuraensis using two habitat attributes (soil moisture and burrow abundance). We mapped the species’ known and predicted habitat using GIS spatial layers, including locality records, associated vegetation communities and digital elevation models.

Intense fire is a key threatening process for the endangered Blue Mountains water skink, Eulamprus leuraensis. This species is restricted to isolated, densely vegetated and waterlogged peat swamps in montane south-eastern Australia. We surveyed 11 swamps (5 unburnt, 6 burnt) over 2 years, before and after the intense spring bushfires of 2013, to quantify the fires’ impacts on these skinks, other lizards and the habitat upon which they depend. Trapping revealed no direct effect of fire on E. leuraensis populations, with skinks persisting in all burnt swamps. Fire modified ground vegetation, virtually eliminating live plants and the dense understorey. Despite the conflagration, vegetation regrowth was rapid with swamp habitat largely recovering in just over 1 year post-fire. Fire thus had only a transitory effect on lizard habitat and a non-significant impact on E. leuraensis numbers. Nonetheless, broader-scale analyses suggest a different story: skinks were more abundant in swamps that had experienced a longer time since major fire. Although the ability of this endangered reptile to survive even intense wildfires is encouraging, fire during prolonged dry periods or an intensified fire regime might imperil skink populations.

Most ecological research on cane toads (Rhinella marina) has focused on invasive populations in Australia, ignoring other areas where toads have been introduced. We radio-tracked and spool-tracked 40 toads, from four populations on the island of Hawai'i. Toads moved extensively at night (mean 116 m, from spool-tracking) but returned to the same or a nearby retreat-site each day (from radio-tracking, mean distance between successive retreat sites 11 m; 0 m for 70% of records). Males followed straighter paths during nocturnal movements than did females. Because moist sites are scarce on the highly porous lava substrate, Hawai'ian toads depend on anthropogenic disturbance for shelter (e.g. beneath buildings), foraging (e.g. suburban lawns, golf courses) and breeding (artificial ponds). Foraging sites are further concentrated by a scarcity of flying insects (negating artificial lights as prey-attractors). Habitat use of toads shifted with time (at night, toads selected areas with less bare ground, canopy, understory and leaf-litter), and differed between sexes (females foraged in areas of bare ground with dense understory vegetation). Cane toads in Hawai'i thrive in scattered moist patches within a severely arid matrix, despite a scarcity of flying insects, testifying to the species' ability to exploit anthropogenic disturbance.