Comparative behavior of red lionfish Pterois volitans on native Pacific versus invaded Atlantic coral reefs

Abstract

Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans have invaded Atlantic reefs and reached much greater population densities than on native reefs. We hypothesized that lionfish on invaded reefs would (1) experience higher kill rates and thus spend less time hunting, given the naïveté of Atlantic prey, (2) consume a greater variety of prey, given the lack of native prey defenses, and (3) display less pronounced crepuscular patterns of hunting, given the ease of capturing Atlantic prey. Comparative behavioral observations were conducted in 2 native regions (Philippines and Guam) and 2 invaded regions (Cayman Islands and Bahamas) to assess lionfish time budgets and diurnal activity patterns and to explore correlations between environmental variables and lionfish behavior. Contrary to our first hypothesis, total time allocated to hunting and kill rates showed no difference between native and invaded reefs, despite considerable regional variation. However, Atlantic prey of lionfish were twice as large as Pacific prey, suggesting that despite similar hunting behavior, invasive lionfish ingest greater daily rations of prey biomass. Furthermore, consistent with our second hypothesis, lionfish on invaded reefs had broader diets, and also relied less on 'blowing' behavior for prey capture, pointing to substantial prey naïveté in the invaded range. Importantly, only in the invaded range did we observe lionfish consuming parrotfishes, the decline of which could have indirect effects on interactions between seaweeds and corals. Finally, lionfish overall tended to exhibit a crepuscular pattern in behavior whereby hunting peaked at sunrise and/or sunset, with no differences attributable to native vs. invasive status. KEY WORDS: Native vs. invasive behavior · Diurnal hunting pattern · Crepuscular hunting · Time budget Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 467: [181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189][190][191][192] 2012 (Albins & Hixon 2008, Green et al. 2012. Invasive lionfish can also negatively affect native piscivorous predators through both predation on juveniles and competition with adults (Albins 2012). Thus, lionfish may ultimately cause drastic changes in Atlantic coral-reef ecosystems (Albins & Hixon 2011).Lionfish are likely protected from predators by their cryptic coloration and numerous venomous spines (Allen & Eschmeyer 1973). Predators rarely target adult lionfish at either native or invaded locations, despite anecdotal evidence of occasional predation (Bernadsky & Goulet 1991, Maljković & Van Leeuwen 2008. Because natural controls have not been definitively identified in either the native Pacific or invaded Atlantic, direct removals of lionfish by humans have to date been the only effective way to reduce invasive populations; however invasive lionfish are widespread geographically and occur far deeper than usual SCUBA depths (Whitfield et al. 2007, Lesser & Slattery 2011, so complete eradication is unlikely.Before the invasion, little was known abo...

Spatio-temporal variation in the diet composition of red lionfish, Pterois volitans (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae), in the Mexican Caribbean: Insights into the ecological effect of the alien invasion

“…In this work an ontogenetic lionfi sh diet composition variation was found, with crustaceans as the more abundant/important prey for small specimens, whereas as lionfi sh grows the more abundant/important prey were found to be fi sh. These results are similar to other studies that also reported a relation between sizediet in lionfi sh (Cure et al 2012). Many reef fi sh species use seagrass and mangrove as juvenile habitat (Mumby et al 2006).…”

Predicting predatory impact of juvenile invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) on a crustacean prey using functional response analysis: effects of temperature, habitat complexity and light regimes

“…Live Paleomonetes varians (Leach 1814) (Grass shrimp) were chosen as trial prey and supplied from Seahorse aquariums. This species was selected to represent a generic prey species and since juvenile lionfish predate largely on invertebrates rather than fish (Cure et al 2012) and due to the successful use of Paleomonetes spp. (Cerino et al 2013).…”

Diet of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) in Bermuda

“…ambush predation, cooperative hunting, palpation, herding, and directed water-jets) (Kendall 1990, Morris & Akins 2009, Albins & Lyons 2012, lionfish consume large quantities and a broad diversity of juvenile and small-bodied adult reef fish as well as small invertebrates (Morris & Akins 2009). Prey naïveté in the invaded range, along with the lionfishes' resemblance to more benign organisms, also appears to contribute to their hunting success (Cure et al 2012). Considering these feeding characteristics, their rapid growth rate (Edwards et al 2014), small size-at-maturity (Morris 2009, Gardner et al 2015, high fecundity and high spawning frequency (Morris 2009, Gardner et al 2015, and apparent lack of natural predators (Albins & Hixon 2013), there is great concern that if their populations are not properly managed, invasive lionfish could cause significant ecological disruption in Bermuda, through predation and resource competition.…”