In 1985 a fearsome predator was introduced to the northwest area of the Atlantic Ocean. This predator has spread rapidly for decades, destroying the habitats in which it invades. No one has been successful in keeping this predator under control. This invasion has been like no other for a marine species. Lionfish were introduced to Florida from their native home in the Indo-Pacific in 1985. A common way for invasive species to be introduced to an area is through ballast water from ships. However, this was not the case for the lionfish. The lionfish was most likely introduced through accidental or intentional aquarium release because this fish is a popular fish to have in aquariums.
The methods that have been used to track the lionfish invasion
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These fish have several spines throughout their body (all on their many fins) that contain toxic substance. No predator wants to eat that. These fish are also unique in the way that they have behavioral defense against predators as well. Lionfish, “…do not flee but rather display their dorsal and pectoral fins equipped with venomous spines.” (Jessica L. Diller, Thomas K. Frazer, Charles A. Jacoby, 2014, p.46). Potential species that may prey on lionfish are confused and deterred by this kind of behavior from a potential prey item. There are several different factors that make the lionfish such a successful invader of the northwest Atlantic but a notable one is the fact that they are habitat generalists and can live in a large variety of oceanic conditions. Along with being habitat and ecosystem generalists they are also generalists in terms of the food that they eat. Along with being food generalists they also have a unique hunting technique where they “vacuum up” their …show more content…
Due to the fact that they are such successful invaders they have the capabilities to inflict quite a bit of damage on the oceans regions in which they invade. A shocking statistic that I read in the journal article, Working up and appetite for lionfish: A market-based approach to manage the invasion of pterios voltians in Belize” “Lionfish have almost three times the prey consumption rate of native counterparts such as the Coney grouper.”(Jenifer K. Chapman, Lucy G. Anderson, Charlotte L.A. Gough and Alasdair R. Harris, 2016, p. 258). Another journal article also stated the statistic “…a single lionfish can reduce the abundance of a small native fish by nearly 80% in just five weeks.” (Côté et al. 2013, p.
A Review of “The Devil and Deep Blue Sea” by Linda Pannozzo Introduction In her book The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: An Investigation into the Scapegoating of Canada’s Grey Seal, Linda Pannozzo accomplishes few important things: she makes a compelling argument for the senseless killing of grey seal; she provides an analytic framework for the reasons of the decline of cod fish; and she provides a wealth of information on the politic behind scapegoating of Canada’s grey seal. Pannozzo presents The Devil and Deep Blue Sea in a clear and unbiased matter, but its presentation is by no mean elementary. Pannozzo’s book is meticulously researched, thus providing us with both quantitative and statistical account surrounding seal ways of life, their diet, history and other necessary aspects of marine life ecosystem. Book Summary
The non-indigionous aquatic species are identified as a distinct brown or maroon, and white stripes or bands covering the head and body. Fleshy tentacles above their eyes and below the mouth; fan-like pectoral fins; long, separated dorsal spines; 13 dorsal spines; 10-11 dorsal soft rays; 3 anal spines; and 6-7 anal soft rays. An adult lionfish can grow as large as 18 inches, while juveniles may be as small as 1 inch or less. Lionfish have cycloid
Although the first three stages of an invasion are important to understanding the invader, the impact stage of invasion is more important because it includes all the effects an invader has on the invaded ecosystem. For the rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, the impacts it has on an invaded area are a result of its natural behavior (McCarthy et al. 2006). Although this behavior is similar to native crayfish, the rusty crayfish is faster and more resilient than any other native crayfish (Kuhlmann 2008). As a result, the rusty crayfish not only outcompete other native crayfish, but also extensively preys on species that are used to the more passive and slower native crayfish (McCarthy et al. 2006). The impacts of the rusty crayfish on new environments include the direct and indirect effects of decreases in local populations, and hybridization with native crayfish species due to its ability to outcompete native crayfish.
Florida’s ecosystems are at risk due to the invasive species which inhabit our state. Because of the negative impact of the invasive species of Florida, we should be informed and aware of the effects. There are many non-native, not only animals, but plant species also which are of concern. Three invasive species that are harming Florida are Lionfish, the Burmese Pythons, and the Brazilian Pepper.
In the field of Invasion Ecology, understanding the four stages of invasion of a specific invader is imperative to understand the invader. This idea is well documented with the rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus. The rusty crayfish is a crustacean native to the Ohio River Basin (Hein et al. 2007). However, the rusty crayfish has invaded not only bordering states such as Wisconsin but also far away areas such as Ontario and Oregon (Hein et al. 2007, Sorenson et al. 2012). The reason that the invasion occurs both in nearby and far away areas is that the rusty crayfish moves to new areas through two different methods (Puth and Allen 2005).The rusty crayfish has invaded multiple places in the US and Canada through human mediated jump dispersal
Another piece fromscalishic lionfish eat ¾ their weight that means that they eat a ton of fish a day such as snapper REASONING 1 REASONING 2 REASONING 3 This proves that These fish are destroying the ecosystem because they have no natural predators. The only predator that the lionfish have are us humans Based on the evidence one must conclude That lionfish are populationing at a rapide amount. We need to stop the population These facts work together to build a case that show that lionfish just keep eating because they have no predator so they just keep eating.
They feed during the day and at night on fishes and cephalopods, and they are known to attack smaller dolphins that are involved in the tuna purse-seine fishery in the Pacific Ocean.[4]
Experts are not quite sure how these fish got to the Atlantic. They hypothesize that people have dumped their unwanted Lion Fish in the Atlantic Ocean for up to 25 years. Since these fish are not native to the Atlantic waters they have very few predators. Lion Fish have a negative effect on native fish populations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission celebrated a day for the removal of Lion Fish. Over 1,000 Lion Fish were removed this day.
After reviewing the article, “Camera Catches New Fish Species-as it’s eaten”, one begins to understand the massive effect that invasive species have on native and denizen species. In this specific case, the Pterois volitans (an invasive species commonly known as lionfish) are causing havoc at depths of up to 122 meters (that’s 400 feet). Pterois volitans have been breeding and feeding at these depths for years without any real threats. Human divers are one of the main sources to reduce Pterois volitans population. However, since humans can only dive around 40 meters in depth we are faced with an issue. With the population of Pterois volitans increasing and no substantial means of containing them, more and more fish become eaten. Some of these
The specific species this paper will focus on are the Burmese python (Python bivittate), the Lionfish (Pterois), and the Brazilian pepper tree (schinus terebinthifolius). These specific invasive species have been chosen for their diversity in the animal kingdom and their large impact on the Florida Everglades and Florida’s ecosystem. These species all negatively impacted the host environments. The different types of harm caused by these species include overpopulation from no predator in new location cause for invading rural areas that can either be dangerous, disruptive, or both. The species can consume others species to the point of imbalance in natural species population or out eat species food for survival. This paper will include a detailed description of each species including, previous location, specific new location/environment, population, and specific problem. With this collection of information, it will be discussed that the actions taking place to help fix these devastating problems and will discuss how new solutions can be implemented or discussed to help aid the situation.
seen to sustain upon lionfish, on the other hand, no studies have associated predation on
Cetacean bycatch is an ongoing problem in the oceans of the world. Cetaceans are defined as whales, dolphins and porpoises(CBRC 1). Bycatch is “marine mammals that are “captured” but discarded”(Read 2). This happens when fishing industries are fishing for a certain type of marine animal and other marine animals are caught accidentally along with the intended catch. Many times, this leads to the death of the animal that was not meant to be caught, and the animal is tossed back into the ocean. This happens with all kinds of marine life, and it has caused the depletion of many different species. However, this is specifically bad for cetaceans, such as dolphins and whales, because they have such a long lifespan(Brown 2). They also take a very long time to mature(Brown 2). These factors make catching these animals very detrimental to the species as a whole because it takes longer for them to reach an age where they can reproduce(Brown 2). The population of many cetaceans have decreased exponentially. When there is someone watching the nets that cetaceans are accidentally caught in, many times they can be saved. However, there are only select few types of fishing methods that do this, and they are not of the prevalent fishing methods that produce cetacean bycatch. This is a problem because there is a connection between most living animals. If a certain part of the connection is eliminated, it will all fall apart. For example, the relationship between
Probably some of the most fearsome and violent monsters contain characteristics of a lion. A prime example is the Nemean lion. This lion was vicious and could not be hurt by bronze or stone. Since the lion is a very powerful and fierce animal, this monster is especially feared because it is partially lion and invincible to weapons. The Griffin is another ferocious monster that has the body of a lion but the head and wings of an eagle. It is especially known to guard treasure. It is a mix of the lion, the king of beast, and the eagle, king of birds, so it was very powerful. In general, monsters with lion characteristics are very powerful and feared.
Every Jaws fan knows the shark gets it in the end. What they do not know is that too many sharks have gotten it; and that has caused a rapid decline in the shark population over the past thirty years. Since the 1970's, sharks of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico shores have declined eighty-five percent. Sharks are vital animal to our world's ecosystem, and if the decline is not controlled; we could be facing devastating problems in years to come. Information has been obtained from two books: The Shark Almanac by Thomas B. Allen and Sharks, An Introduction for the Amateur Naturalist by Sanford A. Moss. Sources also include a number of online references, among them BBC News, ENS News, The New York Times, and two online scientific
Majestic, noble, and brave, this famous iconic wild animal on the planet has captivated the people since the beginning of time. They are most feared by other animals thus, known as the king of the jungle – no other than the lions. Member of the genus Panthera, the lion is one of the big cats in the Felidae family. A lion’s head and body size average about 4.5 to 6.5 feet and tail of about 26 to 40 inches in length. A lion also weighs about 265 up to 420 pounds and a size relative to a 6-foot human. These mammals are also carnivores. Lions have always seen hunting in groups called pride. While lions generally avoid a full-grown elephant, lions still prefer their preys large like the zebras, buffaloes, and giraffes. Poised as the top animal in the ecological pyramid, lions have strong physical qualities, fascinating reputation, and an unfortunate decreasing number of population.