Genetics Provides New Clues about Lionfish Invasion
Genetics Provides New Clues about Lionfish Invasion
April 16, 2015 | ScienceBlog.com
New genetic data suggest the red lionfish invasion in the Caribbean Basin and Western Atlantic started in multiple locations, not just one as previously believed, according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Florida has often been cited as the likely location of the introduction, but the new research suggests multiple introductions occurred, with some potentially coming from the more southern parts of the range. The Caribbean Basin stretches from parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast through South America.
Genetically unraveling the progression of the red lionfish invasion and determining if introductions are still occurring could help guide response and control efforts for this and other invasive fishes. The spiny fish is well known as a predatory invasive species that negatively impacts its non-native environment, disrupting marine food webs as they prey in coral reef ecosystems on invertebrates and fish, including game fish juveniles, such as snappers and groupers. Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific region, and were likely brought to the United States via the pet trade.
USGS researchers analyzed red lionfish samples from fourteen countries and territories in the Greater Caribbean and Western Atlantic in an effort to better understand the invasive species’ population structure and dispersal patterns. While red lionfish can be found in the Gulf, this study did not include any samples from that region.
Read more at http://scienceblog.com/77874/genetics-provides-new-clues-about-lionfish-invasion/#u0ITxsGMcvRJAOwG.99