Photo credit: Clay Steell
Does the lionfish’s digestive physiology facilitate its invasion ecology?
Lionfish are invasive predators threatening marine ecosystems in the western Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. Our research is investigating the digestive physiology and energy budget of lionfish and how this may facilitate their invasiveness.
Selected Publications:
Steell, S.C., T.E. Van Leeuwen, J.W. Brownscombe, S.J. Cooke, E.J. Eliason. 2019. An appetite for invasion: digestive physiology, thermal performance, and food intake in lionfish (Pterois spp.) Journal of Experimental Biology 222: jeb209437
Photo credit: Jacey Van Wert
Can fish feces rescue corals from thermal stress?
Coral reefs are in danger because warming ocean temperatures are leading to mass coral bleaching events where the corals expel their symbiotic algae. External nutrient inputs are critical for coral success and fishes are one of the most important nutrient sources on coral reefs. Our work is examining how fish feces may serve as a vital and underappreciated resource for coral health, growth, and recovery from thermal stressors.
Selected Publications:
Van Wert, J.C., L. Ezzat, K.S. Munsterman, K. Landfield, N.M.D. Schiettekatte, V. Parravicini, J.M. Casey, S.J. Brandl, D.E. Burkepile, E.J. Eliason. 2023. Fish feces reveal diverse nutrient sources for coral reefs. Ecology e4119
Photo credit: Jacey Van Wert
How do stressors impact energy budget trade-offs?
Stressors (e.g. temperature, hypoxia, parasites, toxicants) can affect performance and energy budgets in aquatic ectotherms. An animal must have sufficient aerobic capacity to thrive (e.g. to perform activities such as locomotion, defense, foraging, digestion, courtship, and reproduction). However, if aerobic capacity is constrained, trade-offs between competing performance metrics may occur. We are investigating how energy budgets change across widely varying species and conditions.
Selected Publications:
Lowes, H.M., E.J. Eliason, K.N. Snihur, D.S. Alessi, T.A. Blewett. 2023. Copper toxicity does not affect low tide emersion tolerance of Mytilus galloprovincialis. Marine Pollution Bulletin 189: 114750
Lawrence, M.J., T.S. Prystay, M. Dick, E.J. Eliason, C.K. Elvidge, S.G. Hinch, D.A. Patterson, A.G. Lotto, S.J. Cooke. 2023. Metabolic constraints and individual variation shape the trade-off between physiological recovery and antipredator responses in adult sockeye salmon. Journal of Fish Biology 103:280-291
Nadler, L., E. Bengston, E.J. Eliason, C. Hassibi, S. Helland-Riise, I. Johansen, G. Kwan, M. Tresguerres, A. Turner, K. Weinersmith, Ø. Øverli, R. Hechinger. 2021. A brain-infecting parasite impacts host metabolism both during exposure and after infection is established. Functional Ecology 35: 105-116
Lawrence, M.J., E.J. Eliason, A.J. Zolderdo, D. Lapointe, C. Best, K.M. Gilmour, S.J. Cooke. 2019. Cortisol modulates metabolism and energy mobilization in wild-caught pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 45: 1813-1828
Lawrence, M.J., E.J. Eliason, J.W. Brownscombe, K.M. Gilmour, J.W. Mandelman, L.F.G. Gutowsky, S.J. Cooke. 2018. Influence of supraphysiological cortisol manipulation on predator avoidance behaviours and physiological responses to a predation threat in a wild marine teleost fish. Integrative Zoology 13: 206-218
Lawrence, M.J., E.J. Eliason, J.W. Brownscombe, K.M. Gilmour, J.W. Mandelman, S.J. Cooke. 2017. An experimental evaluation of the role of the stress axis in mediating predator-prey interactions in wild marine fish. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 207: 21-29
