Interactions between range‐expanding tropical fishes and the northern Gulf of Mexico red snapper Lutjanus campechanus

Abstract

Experimental investigation of the intensity of potential competitive interactions among increasingly abundant tropically-associated grey Lutjanus griseus and lane snapper Lutjanus synagris and resident northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) red snapper Lutjanus campechanus was undertaken in large outdoor mesocosms. In pair-wise interaction trials, compared with L. synagris, L. campechanus demonstrated significantly increased roving behaviour and predatory activity. While no significant difference in these activities was observed between L. campechanus and L. griseus, when all three snappers (Lutjanidae) were grouped together L. campechanus swimming activity significantly decreased in the presence of both tropically-associated species. Overall, L. campechanus were more active and aggressive predators and appear to be competitively resistant to L. griseus and L. synagris. As lower latitude species have continued to become increasingly prevalent in nGOM habitats and regional warming continues to affect resident reef-associated fishes, these findings contribute to the assessment of the effects of warming-related species shifts upon nGOM fishes and document current partial resilience of L. campechanus to climate-related expansions of tropical confamilials.