THIBODAUX, La. — A 杏吧传媒 professor鈥檚 research gives us insight into what makes the Lionfish a problematic invasive species.
Dr. Katherine Galloway, biological sciences instructor, was the lead author for 鈥淧redator鈥揚rey Interactions Examined Using Lionfish Spine Puncture Performance.鈥�
鈥淭his invasive species directly impacts the coastlines near 杏吧传媒,鈥� Galloway said. 鈥淚n 2010, lionfish sightings were recorded in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, along the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Lionfish are generalist predators, and the estuaries of Louisiana are home to many of their diet鈥攋uvenile fish and crustaceans.鈥�
The lionfish is a species native to the Indo-Pacific with venomous spines spanning 3 fin locations. They have no natural predators in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Competing for limited food resources with other fish, this has contributed to a lack of biodiversity.
Eventually, Dr. Galloway鈥檚 research suggests groupers and sharks may recognize the lionfish as food, but currently humans are the only biological control for them.
鈥淭hey feed on a lot of commercially and economically important species, which is especially detrimental for areas with significant diving tourism,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is also suspected that the lionfish invasion in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to worsen as the climate changes.鈥�
Dr. Galloway said the lionfish first appeared off the coast of Florida when six were released from an aquarium during Hurricane Andrew. However, people with private aquariums have likely released more to help increase their numbers, she said. It didn鈥檛 take long for lionfish to expand their invasion into the Gulf of Mexico.
Lionfish are also fast breeders, as females can release up to 2 million eggs a year. They can also survive long periods without food, only losing 5 to 16 percent of their weight after 3 months.
鈥淚 think this research really helps evaluate what makes an invasive species so successful, in terms of their body plan,鈥� Dr. Galloway said. 鈥淧rior to my research, we knew that lionfish have venomous spines, but we didn’t know if all of the spines functioned in the same manner. Researching the mechanics of a structure is very important not only for anatomy, but especially in terms of investigating a species invasion that the public contributed to.鈥�
While most of this research was completed during her PhD program at Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Galloway is looking for undergraduate students to begin research over the summer and fall.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 18, 2021
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