Native predators do not influence invasion success of pacific lionfish on Caribbean reefs

Biotic resistance, the process by which new colonists are excluded from a community by predation from and/or competition with resident species, can prevent or limit species invasions. We examined whether biotic resistance by native predators on Caribbean coral reefs has influenced the invasion succe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2013-07, Vol.8 (7), p.e68259-e68259
Main Authors: Hackerott, Serena, Valdivia, Abel, Green, Stephanie J, Côté, Isabelle M, Cox, Courtney E, Akins, Lad, Layman, Craig A, Precht, William F, Bruno, John F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aquatic habitats
Biology
Biomass
Caribbean Region
Cephalopholis fulva
Colonization
Competition
Coral Reefs
Earth Sciences
Ecosystem
Epinephelus
Fish
Fisheries
Fishes
Fishes - physiology
Fishing
Habitat preferences
Habitats
Hypotheses
Invasive species
Marine protected areas
Polls & surveys
Population Density
Population Dynamics
Predation
Predators
Predatory Behavior - physiology
Protected areas
Protection and preservation
Pterois
Pterois volitans
Residential density
Surveys
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Summary:Biotic resistance, the process by which new colonists are excluded from a community by predation from and/or competition with resident species, can prevent or limit species invasions. We examined whether biotic resistance by native predators on Caribbean coral reefs has influenced the invasion success of red lionfishes (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles), piscivores from the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, we surveyed the abundance (density and biomass) of lionfish and native predatory fishes that could interact with lionfish (either through predation or competition) on 71 reefs in three biogeographic regions of the Caribbean. We recorded protection status of the reefs, and abiotic variables including depth, habitat type, and wind/wave exposure at each site. We found no relationship between the density or biomass of lionfish and that of native predators. However, lionfish densities were significantly lower on windward sites, potentially because of habitat preferences, and in marine protected areas, most likely because of ongoing removal efforts by reserve managers. Our results suggest that interactions with native predators do not influence the colonization or post-establishment population density of invasive lionfish on Caribbean reefs.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0068259