Ecological Impacts of an Invasive Mesopredator Do Not Differ From Those of a Native Mesopredator: lionfish in Caribbean Panama

The impacts of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on native coral reef populations in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea can be enormous. However, how much lionfish differ from native predators and whether their effects outweigh the abundant mesopredators that occupy many reefs invite continued examination. The authors of this paper present empirical evidence from Caribbean Panama and beyond, suggesting that lionfish are less abundant than native mesopredators (e.g. small seabass). In addition, their findings show that direct impacts by lionfish and Graysby, a native mesopredator, on survivorship and size distributions of one native prey species (Masked Goby) are similar. The authors used REEF data collected from sites throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Western Atlantic from 2010-2015 to test whether lionfish were less common than Graysby. By leveraging the citizen-science dataset collected by REEF volunteers, the authors were able to evaluate the impacts of native and non-native mesopredators across a much broader geographic region and longer time period than otherwise possible based solely on surveys conducted as part of their field work, which were limited to just one year in Caribbean Panama. REEF data substantially enhanced the evidence used to show that lionfish tended to be much less common than Graysby over the 6-year period. The findings of this paper will help guide lionfish management and control, and provides support for synergies between conservation actions aimed both at the invasion and other consequential problems such as overexploitation and climate change.