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What is the context of this research?

The lionfish population in Bermuda is growing

rapidly, but details of its distribution, abundance, feeding ecology, and life history are still unknown. Local researchers are studying those characteristics to predict the lionfish’ ecological impact and develop a comprehensive management plan. To complete the impact model and contribute to the overall research, this project will study the growth and feeding ecology of captive lionfish. Through an understanding of these characteristics, we will recognize their ecological role and their effect upon the ecosystem through predation and competition for resources. Moreover, the results of this study will help fine-tune the developing model to more accurately describe the influence lionfish may have upon Bermuda’s marine environment.

What is the significance of this project?

In the western Atlantic, invasive lionfish threaten

native populations of economically and ecologically important fish species, and thereby the overall health of coral reef ecosystems. These fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, were first sighted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast in 1985. Within fifteen years, they had reached the shores of Bermuda. As a generalist opportunistic predator, lionfish have a voracious appetite, consuming large numbers of juvenile and small-bodied adult reef fish as well as invertebrates. Critically, they have a high reproductive potential and no known predators in the Western Atlantic which might control their population growth. As a result, this invasion could cause significant ecological damage if it is not managed properly.

What are the goals of the project?

With this funding, we will build and maintain

aquarium facilities to house 20-50 lionfish and investigate their growth and feeding. First, by immersing lionfish in oxytetracycline (OTC), we will conduct experiments to confirm that growth rings in lionfish ear bones correctly reflect age like the rings in a tree trunk. OTC is an antibiotic that marks ear bones, making it possible to determine how often rings form. Second, by feeding all lionfish a strict diet of Bermuda fry (a small fish) and comparing the chemical signature between lionfish and fry, we will determine how ratios of carbon and nitrogen isotopes change between lionfish and their prey. This ratio is essential to accurately determine an animal’s position in the food web and to investigate how energy moves within that web.