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Project properties |
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| Title | The impact of invasive lionfish on the local biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea |
| Group | Marine Animal Ecology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Davide Botaccini |
| Examiner(s) | Tinka Murk, Reindert Nijland, Ronald Osinga, Rosa van der Ven, Diede Maas |
| Contact info | davide.bottacini@wur.nl
mae.education@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2024/02/01 |
| End date | 2025/02/01 |
| Description | Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) are considered the most invasive fishes in the marine realm. Native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, they colonised the Caribbean and western Atlantic following aquarium releases in the 1980’s. More recently (2012), lionfish have also begun invading the Mediterranean Sea, which they accessed through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea. In the Caribbean, lionfish predate extensively on local fishes, drastically decreasing their abundance and interfering with the stability of coral reefs. Interestingly, the impact of invasive lionfish on the local fauna has never been assessed. Students with SCUBA diving qualifications (at least PADI Advanced or equivalent) are welcome to join field trips to Crete (Greece) to participate in a long-term field study aimed at investigating the impact of invasive lionfish on the local fish community.
Three field trips are planned, lasting 7 weeks and starting in March, June and October 2024. Students can join any of the trips for their internship or thesis. |
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