Establishment of the exotic invasive Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Louisiana

Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures

“…For example, greenhouse frogs (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) have spread widely throughout Florida and continue to expand their range (Meshaka et al, 2004), and Rio Grande chirping frogs (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides) have been expanding in Texas and Louisiana (Battaglia et al, 2015). Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) have spread from the site of their original introduction in the Florida Keys in the early 1930s (Barbour, 1931) to occur in most of peninsular Florida (Dodd, 2013) and are increasingly being found in nearby states (Glorioso et al, 2018;Figure S5). There is a growing body of evidence that Cuban treefrogs can tolerate freezes through the use of microclimatic retreats (i.e., warmer shelter sites that provide protection from surrounding freezing temperatures) and are therefore likely to continue to expand their range (Haggerty & Crisman, 2015;Meshaka, 1996).…”

“…Some species have inadvertently traveled on horticultural shipments from Florida and other more tropical locations to nurseries across the United States (Glorioso et al, 2018;Kraus & Campbell, 2002;Morningstar & Daniel, 2020), which is a long-distance dispersal pathway that may enable more rapid poleward range expansion of some amphibian species in response to climate change.…”

“…In general, amphibian and reptile movements are slower than for birds or fish. However, there are many reptile and amphibian species that have moved large distances due to human transport; for example, Cuban treefrogs have crossed states while concealed in ornamental plant shipments (Glorioso et al, 2018), and Burmese pythons and other reptiles have traveled across oceans via the pet trade (Krysko et al, 2016). The massive introduction of invasive non-native tropical reptile (Engeman et al, 2011) and plant species (Simberloff et al, 1997) in Florida provides a cautionary example of the potential for transformative ecological change due to human-assisted range extensions.…”

Winter climate change and the poleward range expansion of a tropical invasive tree (Brazilian pepper—Schinus terebinthifolius)

“…In response to warming winter temperatures, we expect many of these species to move northward into other parts of the southeastern United States. For example, freezing temperatures control the northern range limits of the Burmese python ( Python bivittatus ; Mazzotti et al, ), the Cuban treefrog ( Osteopilus septentrionalis ; Glorioso et al, ), the Zika virus vector mosquito ( Aedes aegypti ; Monaghan et al, ), and many invasive plant species including Melaleuca ( Melaleuca quinquenervia ; Turner, Center, Burrows, & Buckingham, ), Old World climbing fern ( Lygodium microphyllum ; Hutchinson & Langeland, ), and Australian pine ( Casuarina equisetifolia ; Morton, ). These are all tropical invasive species that could move north under warming winter temperature regimes.…”

Lack of Behavioral and Chemical Interference Competition for Refuges among Native Treefrogs and Invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

“…Cuban treefrogs are native to Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas, but have been introduced and become established in many areas of the sub-tropics and tropics, including Florida and elsewhere [10,28]. Since its introduction into the Florida Keys in the early 1900s [29], this species has spread throughout peninsular Florida [30][31][32] and is continuing to expand its range to include coastal regions of the Southeast [33,34]. The Cuban treefrog is considered highly invasive and has the potential to alter native faunal communities.…”