Lionfish alter benthic invertebrate assemblages in patch habitats of a subtropical estuary

Invasive lionfish (primarily Pterois volitans) have spread throughout the Caribbean region, Gulf of Mexico, and the Southeast US coast, and resulting impacts on reef fish populations have been well documented. We examined whether lionfish can likewise affect benthic invertebrate communities, using a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2014-09, Vol.161 (9), p.2179-2182
Main Authors: Layman, C. A, Jud, Z. R, Nichols, P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Benthic fauna
benthic organisms
Benthos
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Brackish water ecosystems
Estuaries
Fish
Fish populations
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitats
Invasion ecology
Invasive fish
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Microbiology
Nonnative species
Oceanography
Palaemonetes
predation
Pterois volitans
Sea water ecosystems
Short Note
species diversity
Species richness
Synecology
Zoology
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Summary:Invasive lionfish (primarily Pterois volitans) have spread throughout the Caribbean region, Gulf of Mexico, and the Southeast US coast, and resulting impacts on reef fish populations have been well documented. We examined whether lionfish can likewise affect benthic invertebrate communities, using an in situ caging experiment, in the Loxahatchee Estuary, Florida, USA. We found that lionfish caused significant declines in the three most abundant benthic invertebrate species, driving an overall shift in assemblage composition. For example, grass shrimp (Palaemonidae) abundance was reduced by nearly 90 % in the presence of lionfish. Species richness of benthic organisms was significantly higher when lionfish were present, suggesting potentially complex emergent effects of lionfish predation on benthic assemblages. Despite the fact that this experiment was conducted in just a single location using relatively small experimental units, we show altered benthic invertebrate communities could well be an additional outcome of the lionfish invasion.
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-014-2491-x