Lionfish Invasive
Introduction
Non-native species have be released and introduced all over the world, but nothing quite compares to the invasion of the Lionfish. Species invasions, such as the Lionfish, can serve as a major threat to native ecosystems by causing ecological damage (Côté, 2013). Finding out what these ecological damages might be and how to slow down the process is
Pterois volitans & Pterois miles
The fish commonly known as the Lionfish has two species, Pterois volians and Pterois miles, going by many other common names such as Turkeyfish, Zebrafish, and Firefish, they are both also apart of the Scorpaeniade family (Robin, 2007). They are considered to be a beautiful reef fish that many aquarists admire and are recognized by …show more content…
A major causes in the disruptions in an ecosystem and biodiversity loss are biological invasions (Albins, 2013). Not only are the Lionfish the first marine fish known to invade the western Atlantic and Caribbean but as well are have the substantial potential to add additional pressure to an environment that is already being compromised by outside forces such as, overfishing, pollution and climate change (Arias-González, 2011). One of the direct ecological impacts of the Lionfish invasion is their predation. By predation the Lionfish is a key threat to the coral reef food webs their high predation rates decrease the number of native species in the environment (Arias-González, 2011). They can significantly decrease the number of small reef fishes as well as some adult species in most areas. An experiment done in 2008 conducted by Albins and Hixon proved this theory. The experiment was performed Bahamas on a small patch of reefs where a single Lionfish was introduced and reduced the abundance of small native fish by 80% in only 5 weeks and in other experiments, 94% reduction in 8 weeks time (Côté, 2013). These experiments show that even an individual Lionfish can be a very efficient predator (Arias-González,
Introduction
Non-native species have be released and introduced all over the world, but nothing quite compares to the invasion of the Lionfish. Species invasions, such as the Lionfish, can serve as a major threat to native ecosystems by causing ecological damage (Côté, 2013). Finding out what these ecological damages might be and how to slow down the process is
Pterois volitans & Pterois miles
The fish commonly known as the Lionfish has two species, Pterois volians and Pterois miles, going by many other common names such as Turkeyfish, Zebrafish, and Firefish, they are both also apart of the Scorpaeniade family (Robin, 2007). They are considered to be a beautiful reef fish that many aquarists admire and are recognized by …show more content…
A major causes in the disruptions in an ecosystem and biodiversity loss are biological invasions (Albins, 2013). Not only are the Lionfish the first marine fish known to invade the western Atlantic and Caribbean but as well are have the substantial potential to add additional pressure to an environment that is already being compromised by outside forces such as, overfishing, pollution and climate change (Arias-González, 2011). One of the direct ecological impacts of the Lionfish invasion is their predation. By predation the Lionfish is a key threat to the coral reef food webs their high predation rates decrease the number of native species in the environment (Arias-González, 2011). They can significantly decrease the number of small reef fishes as well as some adult species in most areas. An experiment done in 2008 conducted by Albins and Hixon proved this theory. The experiment was performed Bahamas on a small patch of reefs where a single Lionfish was introduced and reduced the abundance of small native fish by 80% in only 5 weeks and in other experiments, 94% reduction in 8 weeks time (Côté, 2013). These experiments show that even an individual Lionfish can be a very efficient predator (Arias-González,