Dreamfish Toxins: Implications for Health and Alien Species in a Warming Ocean

Seagrass beds and their native herbivore fish (Sarpa salpa) are foundational for the Mediterranean ecosystem. However, ocean warming is facilitating new herbivorous fish (Siganus rivulatus) to overgraze seagrass beds and compete with local fishes, and allowing macroalgae (Caulerpa cylindracea) to spread to new areas and introduce toxins. In areas where these macroalgae are present, the fish that graze on them contain a toxin that can cause hallucinations and nightmares, lending them the name "Dreamfish". This project will identify the dietary cause of Dreamfish toxicity and examine the impact of toxin-mediated interactions on seagrass ecology. Combining expertise in chemical ecology from Stanford University and marine ecology/conservation from the University of Corsica, we will establish a partnership for monitoring and investigating toxic biomolecules. By examining these novel chemical communications between marine species we aim to safeguard human and ecological health in the context of climate change.