Foraging behaviour and prey consumption in the Indo-Pacific lionfish on Bahamian coral reefs
Foraging behaviour and prey consumption in the Indo-Pacific lionfish on Bahamian coral reefs
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DOI：
10.3354/meps09208
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发表时间：
2011-01-01
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Cote, Isabelle M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Green, Stephanie J.;Akins, John L.;Cote, Isabelle M.
预测和减轻入侵的印度-太平洋狮子鱼Pterois volitans对加勒比鱼类群落的影响，需要彻底了解该物种在入侵范围内的捕食行为，包括消耗的猎物的类型和数量，以及觅食模式如何与外部条件有关。我们研究了在巴哈马群岛的12个浅珊瑚礁的狮子鱼的活动水平和猎物的消费率在一天中的时间和猎物的可用性。狮子鱼捕食率和活动水平显着高于在黄昏（黎明和黄昏）期间比中午。可用的猎物鱼的生物量是最高的黎明，但在中午和黄昏较低，这表明狮子鱼捕食活动并不局限于猎物的可用性。我们计算出的平均每日特定质量的猎物消费率，其中包括每日变化，是类似的3倍，从研究中获得的估计圈养狮子鱼在其原生范围和入侵狮子鱼只在白天观察。我们的研究结果将有助于更准确地预测入侵狮子鱼捕食对本地珊瑚礁鱼类群落的影响。
Predicting and mitigating the effects of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans on Caribbean fish communities requires a thorough understanding of the species' predation behaviour in the invaded range, including the types and amounts of prey consumed and how foraging patterns vary in relation to extrinsic conditions. We studied the activity levels and prey consumption rates of lionfish on 12 shallow coral reefs in the Bahamas in relation to time of day and prey availability. Lionfish predation rates and activity levels were significantly higher during crepuscular (dawn and dusk) periods than at mid-day. Available prey fish biomass was highest at dawn but lower at mid-day and dusk, suggesting that lionfish predation activity is not limited by prey availability alone. Our calculated average daily mass-specific prey consumption rates, which incorporated daily variation, was similar to 3 times the estimates obtained from studies of captive lionfish in their native range and of invasive lionfish observed only during the day. Our results will help to predict more accurately the effect of predation by invasive lionfish on native reef fish communities.