Toad Busters
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| Close-up of toad's eye |
The cane toad is coming under a three-pronged scientific attack by UQ researchers keen to improve control and eradication programs for the introduced pest.
Researchers from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) and School of Integrative Biology hope to improve the efficiency of baiting and trapping programs, as well as develop microbial biocontrol agents for toad eradication.
Toad Buster team leader, IMB’s Professor Rob Capon, said cane toad venom had not undergone modern chemical analysis.
“We believe a comprehensive chemical analysis of the venom will reveal classes of toxins with potent and selective biological mechanisms,” Professor Capon said.The team is also identifying toad-specific pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
“This will reveal a cornucopia of potential biological targets supporting the development of toad-specific poisons.”
The metabolites of these microbes could reveal toxic chemicals with high specificity against toads, offering new avenues in poisoning.
“We are also interested in using toad pheromones to selectively attract females to baits and traps,” Professor Capon said.The Queensland Government has given $1 million to the research through the Australasian Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre
