Abstract

Invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) have become one of the most abundant top reef predators in the temperate and tropical western Atlantic. The impact of their invasion is not yet fully understood, but current research efforts are document-ing their ecological and economic impacts through lionfish diet studies. The goal of this project is to characterize and com-pare lionfish feeding ecology throughout the invaded range. Our meta-analysis will help identify potential diet trends and prey preferences, as well as help determine relative ecological and commercial impacts of lionfish across space. Lionfish diet data collected throughout the invaded range was obtained from over twenty researchers for inclusion in a Microsoft Access database, and an Access-based analysis tool was created to perform analyses across datasets. Preliminary analyses have been performed on existing datasets to establish the feasibility and reliability of our analysis methods, and preliminary results do indicate distinct differences between lionfish diet in the northern reaches of the invaded range to those of the more tropical regions. As the invasion continues, having a better understanding of lionfish dietary trends will help managers triage control and management strategies.

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