Journal ArticleDOI
Worst case scenario: potential long-term effects of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Atlantic and Caribbean coral-reef communities
Mark A. Albins,Mark A. Hixon +1 more
TLDR
A possible “worst case scenario” in which the direct and indirect effects of lionfish could combine with the impacts of preexisting stressors—especially overfishing—and cause substantial deleterious changes in coral-reef communities is described.Abstract:
The Pacific red lionfish has recently invaded Western Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs, and may become one of the most ecologically harmful marine fish introductions to date. Lionfish possess a broad suite of traits that makes them particularly successful invaders and strong negative interactors with native fauna, including defensive venomous spines, cryptic form, color and behavior, habitat generality, high competitive ability, low parasite load, efficient predation, rapid growth, and high reproductive rates. With an eye on the future, we describe a possible "worst case scenario" in which the direct and indirect effects of lionfish could combine with the impacts of preexisting stressors—especially overfishing—and cause sub- stantial deleterious changes in coral-reef communi- ties. We also discuss management actions that could be taken to minimize these potential effects by, first, developing targeted lionfish fisheries and local removals, and second, enhancing native biotic resistance, particularly via marine reserves that could conserve and foster potential natural enemies of this invader. Ultimately, the lionfish invasion will be limited either by the lionfish starving—the worst end to the worst case scenario—or by some combination of native pathogens, parasites, predators, and competitors controlling the abundance of lionfish.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Shifts in the distribution and abundance of coastal marine species along the eastern Pacific Ocean during marine heatwaves from 2013 to 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report ecological changes in response to marine heatwaves across multiple taxa in the eastern Pacific from central California to Baja California, and observe 29 species that had responded to the warm water anomalies of 2014-2018 along the Eastern Pacific Ocean between central California and the BajaCalifornia Peninsula: 7 expansions, 2 extensions, 10 reappearances, 7 increases, 2 shifts into new habitats, and 1 apparent contraction.
Journal ArticleDOI
Invasive Red Lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) grow faster in the Atlantic Ocean than in their native Pacific range
Timothy J. Pusack,Timothy J. Pusack,Cassandra E. Benkwitt,Katherine Cure,Tye L. Kindinger,Tye L. Kindinger,Tye L. Kindinger +6 more
TL;DR: Invasive Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) continue to spread along tropical and subtropical coasts of the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico as mentioned in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
Contemporary and emerging fisheries in The Bahamas—Conservation and management challenges, achievements and future directions
Krista D. Sherman,Krista D. Sherman,Aaron D. Shultz,Aaron D. Shultz,Craig P. Dahlgren,Claire Thomas,Edward J. Brooks,Annabelle Brooks,Daniel R. Brumbaugh,Lester Gittens,Karen J. Murchie +10 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an analysis of the impact of anthropogenic impacts including overfishing, invasive species, climate change, coastal development and pollution on fisheries and aquaculture.
Journal ArticleDOI
Alien marine fishes in Cyprus: update and new records
Samuel P. Iglésias,Lou Frotté +1 more
TL;DR: The rapid increase of alien fish species over time in Cyprus supports the accelerating tropicalisation process observed elsewhere in the Mediterranean over the last decades.
Journal ArticleDOI
Predicting predatory impact of juvenile invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) on a crustacean prey using functional response analysis: effects of temperature, habitat complexity and light regimes
TL;DR: Functional response analysis was employed to quantify interaction strength between lionfish and a generic prey species, the shrimp, under the contexts of differing temperature, habitat complexity and light wavelength, finding lionfish have prey population destabilising Type II functional responses under all contexts examined.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems
TL;DR: Human alteration of Earth is substantial and growing as discussed by the authors, between one-third and one-half of the land surface has been transformed by human action; the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 30 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; more atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by humanity than by all natural terrestrial sources combined; more than half of all accessible surface fresh water is put to use by humanity; and about one-quarter of the bird species on Earth have been driven to extinction.
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Richard N. Mack,Daniel Simberloff,W. Mark Lonsdale,Harry C. Evans,M. N. Clout,Fakhri A. Bazzaz +5 more
TL;DR: Given their current scale, biotic invasions have taken their place alongside human-driven atmospheric and oceanic alterations as major agents of global change and left unchecked, they will influence these other forces in profound but still unpredictable ways.
Journal ArticleDOI
Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States
TL;DR: About 42% of the species on the Threatened or Endangered species lists are at risk primarily because of alien-invasive species.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants.
P. W. Richards,Charles Elton +1 more
Book
The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants
TL;DR: The first book on invasion biology, and still the most cited, Elton's masterpiece provides an accessible, engaging introduction to one of the most important environmental crises of the authors' time.
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Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans reduce recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes
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Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Bahamian archipelago
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