caa a22 4500 606226745 CHVBK 20210128101154.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10641-014-0242-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10641-014-0242-y Broad salinity tolerance in the invasive lionfish Pterois spp. may facilitate estuarine colonization [Elektronische Daten] [Zachary Jud, Patrick Nichols, Craig Layman] The ongoing invasion of non-native Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.) represents a significant ecological threat throughout the Western Atlantic and Caribbean. As a generalist species, lionfish have been able to rapidly colonize a wide variety of ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, the sea floor at depths as great as 300m, and even brackish estuaries. While lionfish have been encountered in a number of estuarine systems, the spatial distribution of lionfish in estuaries is likely limited by the species' ability to tolerate low salinities. Here, we experimentally identify minimum salinity tolerance in lionfish by measuring survival salinity minimum—the lowest salinity at which all individuals survive for 48h. Additionally, we examine whether long-term exposure to low (but sub-lethal) salinities has negative effects on lionfish. Field observations in the Loxahatchee River estuary (Jupiter, FL) showed that lionfish can survive brief exposure to salinities as low as 1 ‰. At one estuarine location, fish survived exposure to salinity fluctuations of ~28 ‰ every 6h for several days. In laboratory trials, survival salinity minimum for lionfish was 5 ‰; however, some individuals survived at 4 ‰ for up to 94h before dying. Lionfish that were held at 7 ‰ for 28days showed no differences in mortality, behavior or growth, when compared to control fish held at 35 ‰ (typical ocean salinity). This broad salinity tolerance may allow lionfish to colonize estuaries throughout their invaded range, and may facilitate dispersal across the Amazon-Orinoco plume. Because of the ecological and economic importance of estuaries, this facet of the lionfish invasion warrants further study. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2014 Estuary nationallicence Indian River Lagoon nationallicence Invasive marine fish nationallicence Lionfish nationallicence Pterois volitans nationallicence Salinity tolerance nationallicence Jud Zachary Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st Street, 33181, North Miami, FL, USA aut Nichols Patrick Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, 33146, Miami, FL, USA aut Layman Craig Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st Street, 33181, North Miami, FL, USA aut Environmental Biology of Fishes Springer Netherlands 98/1(2015-01-01), 135-143 0378-1909 98:1<135 2015 98 10641 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0242-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 brief-communication jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0242-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jud Zachary Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st Street, 33181, North Miami, FL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nichols Patrick Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, 33146, Miami, FL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Layman Craig Marine Sciences Program, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st Street, 33181, North Miami, FL, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Environmental Biology of Fishes Springer Netherlands 98/1(2015-01-01), 135-143 0378-1909 98:1<135 2015 98 10641