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
Reads0
Chats0
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
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
No evidence for conspecific recruitment for cooperative hunting in lionfish Pterois miles.
Hanaa Sarhan,Redouan Bshary +1 more
TL;DR: A fin flaring pattern, involving a rapid undulation of the caudal fin and sequential turning of both pectoral fin, is found in lionfish as discussed by the authors, which are common piscivores in the Indo-Pacific and invasive in the Caribbean.
Book ChapterDOI
Macroscopic Network Properties and Spatially-Explicit Dynamic Model of the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve Coral Reef (Caribbean Sea) for the Assessment of Harvest Scenarios
TL;DR: In this article, the authors build a model that was balanced (Ecopath) and spatially-explicit (Ecospace) to assess the application of different management strategies on the ecosystem.
Journal ArticleDOI
Key Life History Attributes and Removal Efforts of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
TL;DR: The authors in this article assessed population characteristics (size, density, age and growth) and removal efforts of lionfish (n = 1,665) at two coral reef sites within FGBNMS for 2015, 2016, and 2018.
Dissertation
Human impacts on oligotrophic marine ecosystems: case studies from Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea
Journal ArticleDOI
Serving conservation from reef to plate: Barriers and opportunities for invasive lionfish consumption in restaurants
Nathan Robert Smith,Kate Burgess,Kayli Clements,Joanne C. Burgess,Anna Lavoie,Jennifer Solomon +5 more
TL;DR: The lionfish supply chain for Florida's restaurant industry has been investigated in this article , where 20 culinary professionals in Florida were interviewed to determine their perceptions of barriers and opportunities for increasing their use of lionfish.
References
More filters
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.
Related Papers (5)
Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans reduce recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes
Mark A. Albins,Mark A. Hixon +1 more
Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the Bahamian archipelago
James A. Morris,John L. Akins +1 more