Effects of invasive lionfish on benthic fauna in shallow, near-shore environments on Andros Island, The Bahamas Nicole Cianciulli, Brittany Hardin, Jelytza Padro, Jordan Smith, Kelli Wright Abstract Lionfish is an invasive species to the Caribbean Sea causing a disturbance to native fauna. As a large predator in the Caribbean, this species has effects on local trophic levels. By studying population sizes of smaller prey animals in areas where lionfish population have flourished in comparison to population sizes of small prey animals where lionfish are not present, we can better understand their impacts on native animals. With data collected in 12 different areas on the island, the experiment will show that the population of benthic fauna will increase as the danger of lionfish are removed. The increase of this invasive species has negative implications towards the population of small prey and creates competition for nutrients and food in an already stressed and sensitive ecosystem. The results support research of other group in the Caribbean, in regards to the effects of lionfish; while also adding information to how lionfish affect the near-shore ecosystem of the Bahamas specifically. Introduction The International Union of Conservation of Nature reports that there are approximately 500 alien marine species within the coastal waters of the United States (DePoorter, IUCN website). While not all alien invaders have a detrimental impact on their new home away from home, there are many examples of the potentially disastrous impacts of these introductions. In 1985 the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), a European native, was accidently introduced to North American waters via ship ballast (Mack et al, 2000). This bivalve not only out-competed the