A Mechanistic Approach to Quantify the Impact of Invasive Lionfish

Lionfish have become the poster child for marine invasive species since their introduction to Floridian waters in the 1980s. While considerable efforts have attempted to quantify their impacts on native communities, research on lionfish and their feeding ecology remains in its infancy, as does knowledge about their competition with and impact on native predators. This provides the impetus for my research. I will attempt to disentangle the impacts of lionfish by studying their learning efficiency and foraging behaviour relative to ecologically analogous native grouper. In doing so, my research will offer novel ways by which to study lionfish and the drivers of their ecological impact. By better understanding why lionfish have such profound impacts, managers and researchers alike will be better equipped to effectively control this and other invasive species across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial realms.

Faculty Supervisor:

Hugh MacIsaac;Nigel Hussey

Student:

Partner:

Florida Gulf Coast University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

University of Windsor

Program: