Project TECHNOcean
Lesson/Activity Plan
Lionfish & Coral Reefs
Hayley Vatcher
Anna Reh-Gingerich
Murray Middle, 7th
Objective:
Students should be able to:
● Distinguish between non-native & invasive species
● List characteristics of what make lionfish invasive
● Describe the coral reef food webs & how lionfish alter it
● Discuss some of the consequences of the lionfish invasion & strategies to manage it
Curriculum Category:
● Marine Mastery, 7th Grade
Materials:
● Stuffed animals or classroom objects to use as invasive species
● Powerpoint presentation
Procedure:
● Start by introducing Lionfish
○ Describe to students how lionfish are not native to this area & were originally
introduced by release from aquarium
○ Show students what lionfish look like & how the spines are poisonous
○ Ask if any students have seen them in the wild before
● Invasive species activity
○ Describe to students how a non-native species & an invasive species are
different
○ Give characteristics of invasive species
■ Reproduce quickly
■ Have a wide diet
■ Can inhabit a wide range of environments
■ Cause harm to the environment
○ Set the classroom as an established environment where all the students are
native species & everything is functioning smoothly (well-balanced)
○ Distribute either stuffed animals or classroom objects to groups of students & tell
them they will be invasive species
○ Ask students to give four characteristics that are critical to their species’ survival
that will change the classroom environment, much like the way an invasive
species will (eats all the pencils, has seven babies at a time, consumes lots of
paper, etc.)
Project TECHNOcean
Lesson/Activity Plan
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Have students show & tell their invasive species
Finish by giving characteristics of lionfish that make them invasive:
■ High fecundity: over 2,000,000 eggs per female annually
■ Wide habitat range: only inhibited by cold temperatures
■ Large diet: studies have shown 42 different species of just reef fish in
their bellies
■ Cause harm to coral reef ecosystems
Go into coral reef habitats & the complexity of the food webs
○ Discuss how coral reefs are perfect habitat for lionfish
○ Talk about some of the direct and indirect effects on the coral reef food web
Finish with management strategies currently underway to try to slow the effects
(impossible to eradicate them)
○ Ask students if they have any ideas
Background:
Lionfish are not native to North or South America, but have recently become established within
coral reef environments in these areas. Lionfish are originally from the Indo-Pacific region. They
have poisonous spines on their back, very showy fins, and vibrant patterns. These distinct
characteristics made them a popular aquarium fish and they quickly became a part of the
aquarium trade to this area. It is believed that the most likely way lionfish were introduced to the
area was due to release from aquarium enthusiasts.
It is important to research the distribution of lionfish because they are one of the first
documented examples of an introduced invasive marine species. There are examples of
freshwater and terrestrial invasive species, such as asian carp in the Great Lakes and pythons
in the Everglades. However with the lionfish invasion, researchers can see it unfold in real-time
since it is such a recent development. The major difference between a non-native species and
an invasive species is that invasive species actually cause harm to the environment and change
the way it functions. Lionfish have a high fecundity (fecundity meaning how much one female
can reproduce); each female can produce over 2,000,000 eggs annually. They also have a wide
habitat range. Their only inhibition is cold temperatures. They can go as far north as Boston
Harbor, but during the winter the population there will drop as the waters will get too cold for
their survival. They can be found all along North Carolina’s coastline. They also have a very
wide diet; they mostly eat small fish and invertebrates. Some studies have shown 42 different
species of reef fish in their bellies. All of these factors together have made lionfish one of the
more prevalent fish in coral reef ecosystems, which has had a major effect on coral reef
ecosystems.
Coral reefs are very complex. The food webs are large, particularly because it includes the
corals themselves and all of the algaes that grow in and around the corals. Many of the more
Project TECHNOcean
Lesson/Activity Plan
popular fisheries are dependent on the habitat and food provided by coral reefs. Grouper,
snappers, sharks, and rays are some of the top predators found in the coral reef food webs.
They are valuable species and as lionfish become more prevalent, they remove the amount of
prey available for these larger species. Groupers are in direct competition with lionfish and have
a more limited diet, so any reduction of their prey is going to limit the amount of food available
for groupers. Also, parrotfish are a type of herbivorous reef fish that lionfish consume. They eat
away at any algae that grows over the corals. If their numbers continue to drop dramatically,
algae will grow over corals uninhibited and potentially suffocate them or limit their exposure to
sunlight. This would directly harm the corals and then have multiple indirect effects on other
species within the food webs.
At this point, the lionfish are impossible to eradicate, or remove, from coral reef ecosystems.
However, there are still management strategies in place to try to slow their effects. There are
efforts underway to encourage a large fishery for lionfish. They are edible (only the spines are
poisonous) and more restaurants are incorporating them into menus. Having major fishing
events is also helping to contribute to the removal of lionfish. Some areas have a protected
designation and incorporate intense lionfish hunting within the boundaries. In one such instance,
it was seen that grouper could be a natural predator to lionfish but it would require a very
concentrated population of grouper to be even remotely effective.
The moral of the story is to never release species to the wild, as you never know what effects
they’ll have on the environment. Also, EAT MORE LIONFISH!
Supplemental Materials:
References Used:
1. Albins, M. A. 2013. Effects of invasive Pacific red lionfish Pterois volitans vs. a native
predator on Bahamian coral-reef fish communities. Biological Invasions. 15: 29-43.
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/37259/AlbinsMarkZoology
EffectsInvasivePacificRed.pdf?sequence=1
2. Albins, M. A., and M. A. Hixon. 2008. Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans reduce
recruitment of Atlantic coral-reef fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 367: 233-238.
http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2008/367/m367p233.pdf
3. Albins, M. A., and M. A. Hixon. 2011. Worst case scenario: potential long-term effects of
invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans) on Atlantic and Caribbean coral-reef
communities. Environmental Biology of Fishes. Online. DOI 10.1007/s10641-011-97951. http://course.tjau.edu.cn/aqua/uploadfile/2012121715256837.pdf
4. Arias-Gonzalez, J. E., C. Gonzalez-Gandara, J. L. Carbrera, and V. Christensen. 2011.
Predicted impact of the invasive lionfish Pterois volitans on the food web of a Caribbean
coral reef. Environmental Research. 111(7): 917-925
Project TECHNOcean
Lesson/Activity Plan
http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.libcat.uncw.edu/science/article/pii/S0013935111001952
5. Barbour, A. B., M. S. Allen, T. K. Frazer, and K. D. Sherman. 2011. Evaluating the potential
efficacy of Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Removals. PLoS ONE. Online 6(5):
e19666. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019666.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0019666
6. Green, S. J., J. L. Akins, A. Maljkovic, and I. M. Cote. 2012. Invasive Lionfish Drive Atlantic
Coral Reef Fish Declines. PLoS ONE. Online. 7(3): e32596.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032596.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032596#pone
-0032596-g002
7. Green, S. J., J. L. Akins, and I. M. Cote. 2011. Foraging behavior and prey consumption in the
Indo-Pacific lionfish on Bahamian coral reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 433: 159167. http://absci.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Green-et-al-MEPS-2011.pdf
8. Kimball, M. E., J. M. Miller, P. E. Whitfield, and J. A. Hare. 2004. Thermal tolerance and
potential distribution of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles complex) on the east coast of
the United States. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 283: 269-278. http://www.intres.com/articles/meps2004/283/m283p269.pdf
9. Morris, J. A. Jr. and J. L. Akins. 2009. Feeding ecology of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans)
in the Bahamian archipelago. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 86: 389-398.
http://graysreef.noaa.gov/science/publications/pdfs/morris_akins_2009.pdf
10. Morris, J.A., Jr., and P.E. Whitfield. 2009. Biology, Ecology, Control and Management of
the Invasive Indo-Pacific Lionfish: An Updated Integrated Assessment. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 99. 57 pp.
http://aquaticcommons.org/2847/1/NCCOS_TM_99.pdf
11. Mumby, P. J., A. R. Harbourne, and D. R. Brumbaugh. 2011. Grouper as a natural Biocontrol
of Invasive Lionfish. PLoS ONE. 6(6): e21510. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021510
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0021510#pone
-0021510-g00212.
12. Whitfield, P. E., et al. 2002. Biological invasion of the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans
along the Atlantic coast of North America. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 235: 289297. http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2002/235/m235p289.pdf