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
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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
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Tackling the lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean. the EU-LIFE RELIONMED Project: progress and results
Periklis Kleitou,Jason M. Hall-Spencer,Siân E. Rees,Spyros Sfenthourakis,A Demetriou,Niki Chartosia,Carlos Jiménez,Louis Hadjioannou,Antonis Petrou,Yiannis Christodoulides,Andreas Georgiou,Andreou,Charalampos Antoniou,Ioannis Savva,Demetris Kletou +14 more
TL;DR: The RELIONMED (Preventing a Lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean through early response and targeted REmoval) project as mentioned in this paper is a four-year project, funded by the EU LIFE instrument, aiming to make Cyprus the first line of defence against the invasion of lionfish in Mediterranean waters.
Lionfish Invasion off the Northern Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Southern Gulf of Mexico: What Do we Know? La Invasión del Pez León en el Golfo de México y Mar Caribe Mexicano: ¿Qué Sabemos? L'invasion de'l Lionfish Sur la Cote Nord du Yucatan, Mexique, Sud du Golfe du Mexique: Que Savons-Nous?
Alfonso Aguilar-Perera,Armin Tuz-Sulub,Leidy Perera-Chan,María José López-Gómez,Ximena González Triste,Evelyn Carrillo Flota +5 more
TL;DR: The first lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) was found in the Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel, in Quintana Roo, in the Mexican Caribbean; however, no official record was published about this finding but just anecdotic evidence as mentioned in this paper.
Book ChapterDOI
Adaptive Management for Novel Ecosystems
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of novel ecosystems has been explored in the context of the management of coral reef ecosystems and its implications for management, having been substantially altered by a range of direct anthropogenic drivers and global climate change.
Thermal Preferences and Critical Temperature Regimes of the Western North Atlantic Invasive Lionfish Complex (Pterois spp.)
TL;DR: This paper presents the results of a two-year study of thermal tolerance in the collection and husbandry of Invasive Lionfish using an electronic Shuttlebox as a guide.
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.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control
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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