48. Ecology
Ecology
2:42 minutes
Problem 12b
Textbook Question
Textbook QuestionThe red lionfish, Pterois volitans, has beautiful red stripes, streaming fins, and a fearless disposition, and it is deadly. Native to the Pacific Ocean, the red lionfish was first discovered on coral reefs in the Bahamas in 1985. The species has spread to over 3 million square kilometers of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish have a voracious appetite for native fish, are armed with venomous spines, and have no natural predators in their new range. Lionfish are usually found in full-salinity seawater (35 parts per thousand). However, lab studies show that lionfish can tolerate salinities as low as 4 parts per thousand for several days, suggesting that the low-salinity water of estuaries (such as at the mouth of the Amazon River) may not be a barrier to lionfish dispersal along the coasts. Sketch a niche model predicting lionfish abundance as a function of salinity.
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