Simulations indicate that scores of lionfish (Pterois volitans) colonized the Atlantic Ocean.

ABSTRACT: The invasion of the western Atlantic Ocean by the Indo-Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans) has had devastating consequences for marine ecosystems. Estimating the number of colonizing lionfish can be useful in identifying the introduction pathway and can inform policy decisions aimed at preventing similar invasions. It is well-established that at least ten lionfish were initially introduced. However, that estimate has not faced probabilistic scrutiny and is based solely on the number of haplotypes in the maternally-inherited mitochondrial control region. To rigorously estimate the number of lionfish that were introduced, we used a forward-time, Wright-Fisher, population genetic model in concert with a demographic, life-history model to simulate the invasion across a range of sour

SUBMITTER: Selwyn JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5740958 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature