The Ultimate Invader: Ruthless Lionfish Hinders the Recovery of Small Reef Fish
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Photo Credit: Abel Valdivia
Kurt Ingeman, a doctoral student from Oregon State University has revealed a formidable characteristic of the lionfish, which is an invasive Pacific Ocean species that has been killing native populations in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean for decades. The lionfish continue to pursue their target even after all other fish would have given up the hunt. His study on the population of a small reef fish, the fairy basslet, in Bahamas has discovered the high mortality rate of the fish in the presence of lionfish, which is estimated to be four times higher than their exposure to native predators like groupers and trumpetfish. In some spots in the Atlantic, scientists estimate lionfish have wiped out 90 percent of native fish.
Link: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/the-terminators-of-the-high-seas-lionfishs-ruthless-killing-alarms
Date & Source: August 15, 2014, Mother Nature Network
