scholarly journals Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6667
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez ◽  
Sean Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Individual Organism ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Parameter Values

Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth; sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We reviewed 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found regional differences that led to significant misestimates when calculating weight from length observations. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focused on genetics or length-at-age. Here, the use of ex situ parameter values resulted in total biomass estimates between 76.2% and 140% of true observed biomass, and up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight for an individual organism. These findings can have implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.

scholarly journals Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Individual Organism ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Parameter Values

Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth; sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We reviewed 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found regional differences that led to significant misestimates when calculating weight from length observations. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focused on genetics or length-at-age. Here, the use of ex situ parameter values resulted in total biomass estimates between 76.2% and 140% of true observed biomass, and up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight for an individual organism. These findings can have implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.

scholarly journals Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez ◽  
Sean Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
Management Implications ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean

Lionfish (Pterois volitans / miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth. Sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We review 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found substantial regional differences in allometric growth parameters. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focusing on genetics or age-at-length. We show that the use of ex situ parameters can result in up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight, but using parameters from nearby regions reduces this error. These findings can have major implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.

scholarly journals Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez ◽  
Sean Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Allometric Growth ◽  
Management Implications ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean

Lionfish (Pterois volitans / miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth. Sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We review 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found substantial regional differences in allometric growth parameters. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focusing on genetics or age-at-length. We show that the use of ex situ parameters can result in up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight, but using parameters from nearby regions reduces this error. These findings can have major implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.

scholarly journals On the relationship between native grouper and invasive lionfish in the Caribbean

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J Mumby ◽  
Daniel R Brumbaugh ◽  
Alastair R Harborne ◽  
George Roff
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Pterois Volitans ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Relationship

The Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois volitans, has invaded most of the Tropical Western Atlantic in the last few years. The degree to which populations of this invasive species can be controlled by native predatory fish (mostly grouper), is controversial with conflicting reports. Here, we review the evidence of two recent papers and point out some of the difficulties in inferring predator-limitation purely from observational data. A negative relationship has been found between large-bodied grouper and lionfish during early colonisation though the degree to which this is caused by direct predation versus behavioural mechanisms is unclear. Evidence to the contrary from a recent study suffers confounding effects of habitat quality, fishing, and dispersal and therefore remains equivocal.

scholarly journals On the relationship between native grouper and invasive lionfish in the Caribbean

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J Mumby ◽  
Daniel R Brumbaugh ◽  
Alastair R Harborne ◽  
George Roff
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Pterois Volitans ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Invasive Lionfish ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Relationship

The Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois volitans, has invaded most of the Tropical Western Atlantic in the last few years. The degree to which populations of this invasive species can be controlled by native predatory fish (mostly grouper), is controversial with conflicting reports. Here, we review the evidence of two recent papers and point out some of the difficulties in inferring predator-limitation purely from observational data. A negative relationship has been found between large-bodied grouper and lionfish during early colonisation though the degree to which this is caused by direct predation versus behavioural mechanisms is unclear. Evidence to the contrary from a recent study suffers confounding effects of habitat quality, fishing, and dispersal and therefore remains equivocal.

Distribution, history, and taxonomy of the Thais clade (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in the Neogene of tropical America

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geerat J. Vermeij
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Large Species ◽  
The South ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Tropical America ◽  
The Caribbean

The earliest known members of the Thais clade of rapanine muricid neogastropods comprise four species from the Cantaure Formation (early Miocene: Burdigalian) of Venezuela; three of these species are new. Neorapana rotundata Gibson-Smith et al., 1997, is most closely related to the Recent Pacific Mexican N. tuberculata (Sowerby, 1835), and represents the only known Atlantic occurrence of the genus. Thais brevicula new species is closest to T. callaoensis (Gray, 1828) from the Recent of northern Peru and the Galápagos. A review of the genus Thais indicates that the typical members of this group occur in the South Atlantic, West Africa, and eastern Pacific, but not in the Recent fauna of the southern Caribbean. Stramonita bifida new species is a large species related to the Recent S. haemastoma floridana (Conrad, 1837), which occurs throughout the Caribbean. A review of American species of Stramonita indicates that the taxon S. biserialis (de Blainville, 1832) from the Recent fauna of the eastern Pacific, and the taxon S. h. haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767), may each be composed of more than one species despite the teleplanic dispersal of their larvae. Stramonita semiplicata new species is closely related to the Recent S. bicarinata (de Blainville, 1832) from the South Atlantic, and represents a lineage that occurred in the Caribbean region until at least the late Miocene. It may have given rise to the eastern Pacific genus Acanthais. The higher diversity and greater antipredatory specialization of eastern Pacific as compared to western Atlantic members of the Thais clade may have resulted from higher post-Miocene rates of speciation and lower extinction rates in the eastern Pacific.

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