# Arid habitats intensify sexual conflict in invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina)

## TL;DR

Male cane toads can cause females to drown in arid areas, leading to male-dominated populations near water sources.

## Contribution

The study reveals how sexual conflict intensifies in arid habitats due to scarce water resources in invasive cane toad populations.

## Key findings

- Females near dams face high risk of drowning due to male amplexus in deep water.
- Toad populations around dams are strongly male-biased, with females preferring safer terrestrial areas.
- Sexual conflict in water-scarce environments may reduce female recruitment in cane toad populations.

## Abstract

Amplexus by male cane toads (Rhinella marina) impairs a female’s mobility and may impose a risk of drowning. Near the arid-zone edge of the toads’ Australian invasion, artificial ponds provide the only permanent open water. Cane toads must access water to hydrate every few nights, creating a potential for sexual conflict. Our field-based experiments show that a female toad that approaches one of these steep-sided dams encounters numerous reproductively active males, most of which are facing the shore. When amplexed by these males, she may find herself in deep water even close to the shore and is vulnerable to drowning. In trials with tethered females, toads amplexed in deep water could not hold their heads above the water’s surface. Demographic effects of this sexual conflict are evident from population surveys: toad populations around dams are strongly male-biased whereas females are concentrated at mesic refuges around buildings that provide less dangerous conditions. Even around the same dam, female toads are often found on land whereas most males are found in the water. If sexual conflict around scarce waterbodies is lethal for female toads, we might reduce recruitment by allowing dense populations of male toads to persist.