Project: Ecological Release and Resistance at Sea: Invasion of Atlantic Coral Reefs by Pacific Lionfish

Acronym/Short Name:Lionfish Invasion
Project Duration:2009-06 - 2012-11
Geolocation:Bahamas; Cayman Islands; Mariana Islands; Philippines

Description

Invasive species are increasingly introduced by human activities to new regions of the world where those species have never existed previously. In the absence of natural enemies (predators, competitors, and diseases) from their homeland, invasives may have strong negative effects on invaded ecosystems, especially systems with fewer species ("ecological release"), and may even drive native species extinct. However, if native natural enemies can somehow control the invaders ("ecological resistance"), then ecological disruption can be prevented or at least moderated. Most of the many invasive species in the sea have been seaweeds and invertebrates, and the few documented invasive marine fishes have not caused major problems. However, this situation has recently changed in a stunning and ominous way. In the early 1990s, lionfish (Pterois volitans) from the Pacific Ocean were accidentally or intentionally released from aquaria to the ocean in the vicinity of Florida. Camouflaged by shape and color, protected by venomous spines, consuming native coral-reef fishes voraciously, and reproducing rapidly, lionfish have subsequently undergone a population explosion. They now range from the mid-Atlantic coast of the US to the Caribbean, including the Bahamas. Native Atlantic fishes have never before encountered this spiny, stealthy, efficient predator and seldom take evasive action. In fact, the investigator has documented that a single lionfish is capable of reducing the abundance of small fish on a small coral patch reef by nearly 80% in just 5 weeks. There is great concern that invasive lionfish may severely reduce the abundance of native coral-reef fishes important as food for humans (e.g., grouper and snapper in their juvenile stages) as well as species that normally maintain the integrity of coral reefs (e.g., grazing parrotfishes that can prevent seaweeds from smothering corals). There are far more species of coral-reef fish in the Pacific than the Atlantic, so this invasion may represent a case of extreme ecological release with minor ecological resistance. Dr. Hixon and colleagues will study the mechanisms of ecological release in lionfish, as well as examine potential sources of ecological resistance in the heavily invaded Bahamas. Because very little is known about the ecology and behavior of lionfish in their native Pacific range, he will also conduct comparative studies in both oceans, which may provide clues regarding the extreme success of this invasion. In the Bahamas, the investigator will document the direct and indirect effects on native species of the ecological release of lionfish, both as a predator and as a competitor. These studies will be conducted at various scales of time and space, from short-term experiments on small patch reefs, to long-term experiments and observations on large reefs. Whereas direct effects involve mostly changes in the abundance of native species, indirect effects can be highly variable. For example, lionfish may actually indirectly benefit some native species by either consuming or outcompeting the competitors of those natives. The project will explore possible ecological resistance to the invasion by determining whether any native Bahamian species are effective natural enemies of lionfish, including predators, parasites, and competitors of both juvenile and adult lionfish. Comparative studies of natural enemies, as well as lionfish ecology and behavior, in both the Atlantic and the Pacific may provide clues regarding the explosive spread of lionfish in the Atlantic.

Regarding broader impacts, this basic research will provide information valuable to coral-reef and fisheries managers fighting the lionfish invasion in the US, the Bahamas, and the greater Caribbean, especially if sources of native ecological resistance are identified. The study will fund the PhD research of U.S. graduate students, as well as involve assistance and participation by a broad variety of undergraduates and reef/fisheries managers, including women, minorities, native Bahamians, and native Pacific islanders. Participation in this project will promote education in marine ecology and conservation biology directly via Dr. Hixon's and graduate students' teaching and outreach activities, and indirectly via the experiences of undergraduate field assistants and various associates.


DatasetLatest Version DateCurrent State
Record of lionfish collected near Eleuthera, Bahamas during reef surveys in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-09-12Final no updates expected
Lionfish behavior observed during study of effect of density on lionfish behavior at Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-09-12Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish sighted near Eleuthera, Bahamas during reef surveys in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-09-12Final no updates expected
Data on lionfish juvenile growth patterns from tagged lionfish in the Bahamas, Guam, and Philippines from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-09-06Final no updates expected
Data on lionfish juvenile growth patterns from tagged lionfish in the Cayman Islands from 2010-2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-08-19Final no updates expected
Results of experiment comparing herbivorous fish grazing at reefs with manipulated lionfish densities at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-08-16Final no updates expected
Lionfish movements to/from reefs observed during study of effect of density on lionfish behavior at Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-07-09Final no updates expected
Observations of damselfish (Stegastes planifrons) behavior in the presence of lionfish and other native fishes at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas and Little Cayman Island in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-07-09Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish sighted near Little Cayman Island in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-07-05Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish sighted and/or collected near Little Cayman Island, 2010 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-07-05Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish collected near Little Cayman Island during 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-07-02Final no updates expected
Behavioral observations of lionfish at native Pacific and invaded Atlantic locations (Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guam, Philippines) from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-06-26Final no updates expected
Results of field experiment testing for the effects of lionfish density on native fishes; conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-06-21Final no updates expected
Results of field experiment testing for density dependence in lionfish growth, immigration, recruitement, and loss; conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-06-20Final no updates expected
Results of lab experiment examining competition for refuge space between invasive lionfish and Nassau grouper; conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-06-03Final no updates expected
Counts of small reef fishes taken by census at artificial and transplant reefs at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas in 2010 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-05-29Final no updates expected
Results of a controlled lab experiment investigating consumption of bridled gobies by lionfish at the Tropical Marine Lab at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-05-06Final no updates expected
Results of manipulative field study and controlled lab experiment on growth rates of juvenile lionfish on reefs with controlled abundances of Nassau grouper; Bahamas, 2010 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-05-06Final no updates expected
Results of lab experiments to determine if groupers (Cephalopholis sp.) eat cleaner gobies (Elacatinus sp.); conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas and Cayman Islands in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-30Final no updates expected
Results of lab experiments to determine if lionfish (Pterois volitans) eat cleaner gobies (Elacatinus sp.); conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas and Cayman Islands in 2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-30Final no updates expected
Predators observed at reefs near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-29Final no updates expected
Fairy basslet censuses at control and experimental reefs near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-26Final no updates expected
Counts of fairy basslet and predator species at reefs near Eleuthera, Bahamas following the establishment of experiment treatments in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-25Final no updates expected
Fairy basslet counts and density prior to manipulation experiments conducted at reefs near Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-24Final no updates expected
Size of predators observed during dedicated reef predator searches at Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-24Final no updates expected
Results of fairy basslet (Gramma loreto) surveys on historically monitored ledges near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas following invasion by red lionfish (Pterois volitans), 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-17Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish sighted during surveys near Lee Stocking Isalnd, Bahamas from 2009-2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-10Final no updates expected
Results of a manipulative field experiment on the effect of lionfish predation on bridled goby populations, conducted at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-10Final no updates expected
Record of lionfish handled/collected during surveys near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2011 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-09Final no updates expected
Cleaner and host species observed on Bahamian reefs under varying experimental conditions in Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-04-03Final no updates expected
Results of an investigation of parasite communities infecting lionfish (Pterois volitans) in their native range, Guam and the Philippines, and in their invaded range, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands2013-04-03Final no updates expected
Results of fish surveys on experimental reefs at Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas from 2009-2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-03-20Preliminary and in progress
Names, codes, and characteristics of species observed during reef surveys in the Bahamas (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-03-19Final no updates expected
Results of experimental field studies, in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Philippines, assessing susceptibility of red lionfish (Pterois volitans) to parasitic gnathiid isopods in both native and introduced ranges in 2009-20112013-03-14Final no updates expected
Counts of Elacatinus gobies on Bahamian reefs with controlled lionfish densities from reef surveys conducted in Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2012 (Lionfish Invasion project)2013-03-11Final no updates expected

Project Home Page


People

Principal Investigator: Mark Hixon
Oregon State University (OSU)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Shannon Rauch
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)