Event Title
Ecosystem impacts of moon jelly (Aurelia labiata) aggregations in Puget Sound, Washington
Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Over the past several decades, increased abundances of jellyfish have been reported globally. However, the role of jellyfish in marine food webs is not well understood. In Puget Sound, large aggregations of the moon jelly Aurelia labiata are seasonally abundant in protected embayments. These aggregations contain millions of individuals and can cover broad areas. Aurelia may compete with culturally, economically, and ecologically important fish for zooplankton prey and alter water column chemistry by releasing nitrogenous waste, but the extent of these interactions are still unknown. To address the question of how Aurelia aggregations affect zooplankton communities and water chemistry, we conducted mesocosm experiments in the summers of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate their predation rates on natural zooplankton assemblages. We also conducted in-situ sampling of Aurelia, phytoplankton, and zooplankton inside and outside of dense aggregations in conjunction with water chemistry measurements. Experiments revealed that Aurelia were able to remove up to 75% of the available copepods from their environment in just two hours. In situ, we found that copepod density was up to 73% lower within aggregations than outside of aggregations located within the same embayments. Zooplankton comprise an important link in marine food webs, transferring energy from primary production up to higher trophic levels, so future increases in their populations may impact fish and marine mammals in Puget Sound. Here, we demonstrate that Aurelia aggregations can significantly alter zooplankton communities in their immediate environment, potentially limiting the prey availability for zooplanktivorous fish. In the future, results from this study will be used in the Puget Sound Atlantis Ecosystem Model to model the impacts of jellyfish on fish populations in Puget Sound. Understanding the role jellyfish play will be important in understanding the future state of the Puget Sound Ecosystem.
Session Title
Poster Session 2: The Salish Sea Food Web and Cycles of Life
Conference Track
SSE14: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-posters-328
Start Date
26-4-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
26-4-2022 5:00 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Ecosystem impacts of moon jelly (Aurelia labiata) aggregations in Puget Sound, Washington
Over the past several decades, increased abundances of jellyfish have been reported globally. However, the role of jellyfish in marine food webs is not well understood. In Puget Sound, large aggregations of the moon jelly Aurelia labiata are seasonally abundant in protected embayments. These aggregations contain millions of individuals and can cover broad areas. Aurelia may compete with culturally, economically, and ecologically important fish for zooplankton prey and alter water column chemistry by releasing nitrogenous waste, but the extent of these interactions are still unknown. To address the question of how Aurelia aggregations affect zooplankton communities and water chemistry, we conducted mesocosm experiments in the summers of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate their predation rates on natural zooplankton assemblages. We also conducted in-situ sampling of Aurelia, phytoplankton, and zooplankton inside and outside of dense aggregations in conjunction with water chemistry measurements. Experiments revealed that Aurelia were able to remove up to 75% of the available copepods from their environment in just two hours. In situ, we found that copepod density was up to 73% lower within aggregations than outside of aggregations located within the same embayments. Zooplankton comprise an important link in marine food webs, transferring energy from primary production up to higher trophic levels, so future increases in their populations may impact fish and marine mammals in Puget Sound. Here, we demonstrate that Aurelia aggregations can significantly alter zooplankton communities in their immediate environment, potentially limiting the prey availability for zooplanktivorous fish. In the future, results from this study will be used in the Puget Sound Atlantis Ecosystem Model to model the impacts of jellyfish on fish populations in Puget Sound. Understanding the role jellyfish play will be important in understanding the future state of the Puget Sound Ecosystem.
