Thesis (M.S.)--North Carolina State University, 2003. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Apr. 2, 2005). Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-45).

The invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish Pterois volitans has been recognized as a severe threat to indigenous fish species on Caribbean reefs. Previous studies have identified an extensive variety of Caribbean fishes in the stomachs of lionfish, but few have tried to quantify the impact these invaders could have on endemic or threatened species. The threatened Labrid fish Halichoeres socialis has been identified as the primary component of lionfish diet in Belizean lagoonal reef systems. This study aims to answer two questions: what is the average maximum number of prey-fish a lionfish can consume in one sitting, and at what rate can these lionfish pass a meal of three prey fish completely? To test lionfish satiation, the subjects were fed as many Pseudohemiculter dispar (a commercially available surrogate) as they could eat within a fifteen-minute window. During the digestion rate experiment, lionfish were fed three similarly sized P. dispar and allowed to digest in 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 19, and 24 hour blocks. From observing prey throughput under near optimal laboratory conditions, the maximum potential impact of lionfish on native populations of Caribbean reef dwelling fishes can be estimated. Given the volume and mass of prey items consumed in this study between 593 and 4658 individual H. socialis could be consumed by a single lionfish in one year. Coupled with further investigation into H. socialis stock numbers, lionfish (P. volitans) could be considered a potentially immanent threat to fishes that exhibit body morphometrics like those of H. socialis at any stage of their life-history.

Pterois volitans and Pterois miles, two species of lionfish from the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, have become prolific invaders of reef, hard bottom, mangrove, and sea grass habitats along the United States Atlantic coast and Caribbean. Their route and timing of introduction is poorly understood. However, historical sightings and captures have been robustly documented since their introduction. This study presents an in-depth analysis of these records based on spatial location, dates of arrival, and physical factors present at capture sights. A stage map was created showing the progression of the invasion as a series of current-driven and proximity-based recruitment periods based on the observed invasion pattern. Using a model that was developed for this study, the relationship between depth, salinity, temperature, and current was examined, finding the latter to be the most influential parameter for transport to new areas. Temperature and extreme depth are perceived as the only limiting factors in the invasion. This predictive model can be applied to other species and locations.

Les premiers stades larvaires chez l’huitre creuse, nommée Magallana gigas, constituent une étape clé du bondéroulement du parcours zootechnique et également pour la pérennisation de la production en écloserie. Dans l’objectifde réduire les mortalités observées en écloserie, nous avons recherché de nouveaux peptides antimicrobiens. Larecherche de ces PAM a été réalisée à partir de deux organismes marins, le poisson-lion invasif en mer des caraïbes,Pterois volitans, et la seiche commune présente sur les zones ostréicoles, Sepia officinalis. La recherche de PAM a étéréalisée préférentiellement à partir de transcriptomes de novo obtenus chez ces deux animaux. Chez le poisson lion, àpartir de BLAST, 7 transcrits codant pour des PAM ont été identifiés. Quatre de ces PAM partagent de fortes homologiesde séquences (>90% d’identité) avec des PAM riches en cystéines proches de l’hepcidine, la LEAP-2, la NK-lysine et la bdéfensineidentifiées chez d’autres poissons. Les 3 autres transcrits annotés pteroicidines A, B et C codent pour despeptides apparentés aux piscidines. La présence de la b-défensine et de la pteroicidine a codée par la pteroicidine A a puêtre confirmée dans les extrait de peau du poisson lion par spectrométrie de masse. Une étude approfondie a été menéesur deux formes amidée et non amidée de la ptéroicidine a ainsi que sur plusieurs peptides de différentes tailles issusdes pteroicidines B et C. Les résultats ont permis de mettre en évidence une relation entre la structure, l’amidation et lesactivités antibactériennes et hémolytiques de ces différentes ptéroicidines. Sur le modèle Sepia officinalis, par lesapproches classiques couplant la purification et les tests antibactériens ou par des approches utilisant les BlAST, aucunPAM n’a été mis en évidence. Nous avons donc développé une approche plus originale qui repose sur le « design » depeptides à partir du transcriptome. A partir de 811 petits peptides sans cystéines issus de la base de données APD, nousavons déterminé des critères récurrents concernant la charge, l’hydrophobicité et la composition en acides aminés. Surla base de ces critères et en s’appuyant sur les outils de prédiction de CAMP, douze peptides ont fait l’objet d’une synthèse.Cinq de ces peptides ont révélé un large spectre d’activités antibactériennes. Les peptides antibactériens issus de la seicheayant une activité non hémolytique ont fait l’objet d’un transfert en écloserie. Ce transfert a été optimisé à partir d’uneétude préliminaire sur le peptide de novo K4, particulièrement actif sur les vibrios. Cette étude a mis en évidencel’importance de l’innocuité du peptide antibactérien sur les différents maillons de la chaine trophique, notamment del’huitre, et sur l’importance du stade de développement ciblé. Par ailleurs, nous nous sommes intéressés au devenir despeptides antibactériens de manière à s’assurer de leur biodégradabilité. L’ensemble de ces travaux a permis nonseulement d’identifier de nouveaux PAMs mais également d’apporter les premières données portant sur le potentiel del’utilisation de ces peptides comme alternative aux antibiotiques. / The first larval stages of oyster (Magallana gigas) are key steps in the smooth running of the zootechnical course and inthe sustainability of hatcheries, where mortality levels can be high. That is why we searched for new antimicrobialpeptides (AMPs) on two marine organisms, i.e. lionfish (Pterois volitans), which is invasive in the Caribbean Sea, and thecommon cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), which is present in French oyster production areas. The search for AMPs wascarried out preferentially from de novo transcriptomes from these two animals. In lionfish, BLAST analyses allowed forthe identification of 7 transcripts encoding AMPs. Four of them shared strong sequence homology (> 90% identity) withAMPs rich in cysteines and close to hepcidin, LEAP-2, NK-lysin and b-defensin identified in other fish. The other 3transcripts, annotated pteroicidins A, B and C, coded for piscidin-related peptides. The presence of b-defensin andpteroicidin a encoded by pteroicidin A was confirmed in lionfish skin extracts by mass spectrometry. An in-depth studywas conducted on two amide and non-amide forms of pteroicidin a, as well as on several peptides of different sizesderived from pteroicidins B and C. The results highlighted a relationship between structure, amidation, and theantibacterial and hemolytic activities of these different pteroicidins. On the other hand, no AMP was highlighted in theSepia officinalis model using conventional approaches coupling purification and antibacterial tests or BLAST approaches.We therefore developed a more original approach that relies on the design of peptides starting from the transcriptome.Starting from 811 small cysteine-free peptides from the APD database, we determined recurring criteria for charge,hydrophobicity, and amino acid composition. Based on these criteria and on CAMP prediction tools, twelve peptides weresynthesized. Five of them revealed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities. Non-hemolytic antibacterial peptidesderived from cuttlefish were transferred to the hatchery. This transfer was optimized thanks to a preliminary study onthe de novo K4 peptide, which is particularly active on vibrios. The study highlighted the importance of antibacterialpeptide safety on the various links of the trophic chain including oyster, and the importance of the targeted stage ofdevelopment. In addition, we addressed the fate of antibacterial peptides to ensure their biodegradability. Altogether,this work not only helped to identify new AMPs but also to provide the first data on the potential use of these peptidesas an alternative to antibiotics.

Temperature preference, behavioral tolerance, and physiological tolerances were determined for locally captured, invasive juvenile lionfish at four different acclimation temperatures (13°C, 20°C, 25 °C and 32°C). Temperature preferences and avoidance temperatures were evaluated using an automated shuttlebox system that presents subject-driven temperature stimuli to subjects, who control the temperature with their movement throughout the tank for 12 hours. Subjects are tracked by a computer system, with data output approximately every second. Acute preference was calculated from the archived data as the mean temperature that the fish occupied during the first two hours of dynamic experimentation. Acute preference measurements were used to determine final temperature preferendum and avoidance temperatures were used to determine behavioral tolerance. Critical thermal methodology (CTM) determined the CTmin and CTmax of the lionfish with loss of equilibrium (LOE) as the endpoint. It is assumed that beyond this temperature, the fish would be unable to survive. Temperature was increased or decreased by 0.33°C per minute until the end point was reached. Thermal tolerance polygons provide a visual representation of the lower and upper thermal avoidance temperatures, delineating the thermal range of the species. Their CTmin and CTmax (acclimated to 25°C) were compared experimentally with two other Florida reef fish species (Cephalopholis cruentata and Lutjanus apodus). Acute preferences of juvenile invasive lionfish showed a final preferendum at 28.7 ± 1°C, but with no significant difference between acclimation temperatures. The thermal tolerance polygon of invasive lionfish shows a strong correlation between CTM and acclimation temperature, with the highest CTmax at 39.5°C and the lowest CTmin at 9.5°C. The thermal polygon, preference, and avoidance data describes the thermal niche of the lionfish. Lionfish CTM (24.61°C) is narrower than those of C. cruentata (25.25°C) and L. apodus (26.87°C).

The red lionfish, Pterois volitans, has arguably become the most successful marine invasive species to date. Yet, despite the invasion success of P. volitans, little is known about the morphology, physiology, and ecology of this species in their native and invaded habitats. The majority of recent studies have focused on the migration of P. volitans into new regions, digestion, and bacterial infections. Knowledge is lacking on the body plan of the invasive lionfish, specifically the numerous venomous spines that are protruding outward, making the body less streamlined. In this study we quantified the mechanical properties (bending and puncture) of the venomous spines of P. volitans, and related these properties to the cross-sectional morphology. We also documented variation in the cross-sectional morphology of spines from other lionfish species in their native regions. Lastly, we documented the dorsal spine joint morphology of the first three dorsal spines and the in situ range of motion as tissues were removed. We found that the long, numerous dorsal spines absorb more energy but are less stiff than the pelvic and anal spines. In addition, we found that the anal and pelvic spines are more effective at puncturing buccal skin from sharks and grouper. We found that the removal of connective tissue significantly changes lateral movement (abduction) for the first three dorsal spines. The removal of the fin sheath significantly alters forward movement (extension) for the first two dorsal spines. From morphology, mechanical property, and range of motion data for P. volitans, we propose that the numerous long dorsal spines are primarily used for intimidation, and are not as effective defense structures as the pelvic and anal spines. Having a substantial amount of intimidating, venomous spines may allow for the lionfish to conserve energy for other highly metabolically costly activities other than warding off predators, such as digestion and reproduction. Future studies could focus on the amount of venom in each spine, how long it takes for the venom to be made and replaced, how the venomous spines affect hydrodynamic flow, and in vivo range of motion during swimming and striking. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2017. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / Every genome tells a story. This dissertation contains four such stories, focused on shared themes of marine population dynamics and rapid change, with an emphasis on invasive marine species. Biological invasions are often characterized by a range expansion, during which strong genetic drift is hypothesized to result in decreased genetic diversity with increased distance from the center of the historic range, or the point of invasion. In this dissertation, population genetic and genomic tools are used to approach complex and previously intractable fundamental questions pertaining to the non-equilibrium dynamics of species invasions and rapid range expansions in two invasive marine species: the lionfish, Pterois volitans; and the shrimp, Palaemon macrodactylus. Using thousands of loci sequenced with restriction enzyme associated DNA sequencing in these two systems, this research tests theoretical predictions of the genomic signatures of range expansions. Additionally, the first chapter elucidates patterns of population genetic connectivity for deep-sea invertebrates in the New Zealand region demonstrating intimate relationships between genetics, oceanographic currents, and life history traits. Invasive shrimp results extend our understanding of marine population connectivity to suggest that human-mediated dispersal may be as important - if not more important - than oceanographic and life history considerations in determining genetic connectivity during specific phases of marine invasions. In invasive populations of lionfish, measures of genomic diversity, including a difference between observed and expected heterozygosity, were found to correlate with distance from the point of introduction, even in the absence of spatial metapopulation genetic structure. These results indicate a signal of rapid range expansion. The final study in this dissertation uses an innovative temporal approach to explore observed genomic patterns in the lionfish. In all, this dissertation provides a broad perspective through the study of multiple species undergoing superficially parallel processes that, under more intense scrutiny, are found to be mechanistically unique. It is only through comparative approaches that predictable patterns of population dynamics will emerge. / by Eleanor Kathleen Bors. / Ph. D.

Predator satiation and prey-size preference were determined for locally caught lionfish, schoolmaster, and graysby, all co-occurring predatory fishes in the Florida coral reef ecosystem. Individuals were evaluated by exposing them to wild-caught killifish over a gradient of four size classes (20 mm to 60 mm, in 10 mm increments). Preference trials extended over a 2 hr time period and were filmed to determine the order in which each prey item was consumed. Satiation was evaluated by exposing the predators to an equal number of excess prey items for 24 hrs and evaluating consumed prey weight. Lionfish and schoolmaster showed a significant preference for the smallest size class (20-30 mm) while the graysby preferred the largest (50-60 mm) and smallest equally. Graysby were shown to consume the least amount of food per gram by biomass (0.034g/gram predator-1) while lionfish consumed the most (0.079g/gram predator-1). A significant difference was also found between consumption rates of lionfish and schoolmaster (0.053g/gram predator-1). If consumption is compared by length between species, lionfish ( = 0.051g/mm predator-1) and schoolmaster ( = 0.061g/mm predator-1) consumption was not significantly different. These results suggest that lionfish success may stem from its ability to target prey sizes not preferred by the graysby while able to outcompete schoolmaster for the same prey size class. However, if the lionfish is compared on an individual level to schoolmaster by individual or length, consumption is similar, suggesting lionfish consumption is not significantly greater on the reef than the native species on an individual basis.

Abstract Not Available.