Jellyfish blooms: advances and challenges

Fuentes, Verónica; Purcell, Jennifer E.; Condon, Robert H.; Lombard, Fabien; Lucas, Cathy H.

doi:10.3354/meps12536

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The study of jellyfish populations poses unique challenges relative to other marine animals. These relate in part to boom and bust patterns that may occur in very short (week to month) timeframes relative to other phyla [22], and their soft bodies that are easily damaged by capture [23]. Due to the increased recognition of the importance of these animals to the food chains of marine ecosystems [24], and their growing value for commercial fisheries, developing effective tools that facilitate the monitoring of these animals will be of benefit to numerous stakeholders.…”

Section: Protocols For the Study Of Jellyfishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational Protocols for the Use of Drones in Marine Animal Research

Raoult

Colefax²,

Allan

et al. 2020

Drones

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The use of drones to study marine animals shows promise for the examination of numerous aspects of their ecology, behaviour, health and movement patterns. However, the responses of some marine phyla to the presence of drones varies broadly, as do the general operational protocols used to study them. Inconsistent methodological approaches could lead to difficulties comparing studies and can call into question the repeatability of research. This review draws on current literature and researchers with a wealth of practical experience to outline the idiosyncrasies of studying various marine taxa with drones. We also outline current best practice for drone operation in marine environments based on the literature and our practical experience in the field. The protocols outlined herein will be of use to researchers interested in incorporating drones as a tool into their research on marine animals and will help form consistent approaches for drone-based studies in the future.

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Section: Protocols For the Study Of Jellyfishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational Protocols for the Use of Drones in Marine Animal Research

Raoult

Colefax²,

Allan

et al. 2020

Drones

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Despite decades of observations on these gelatinous zooplankton populations, only recently has the fundamental role of these communities in pelagic food webs been highlighted (Madin and Harbison, 1977;Hoeksema and Waheed, 2012;Diaz Briz et al, 2017;Hays et al, 2018;Macali et al, 2018). Their importance in the pelagic food web is likely to vary according to their bloom dynamics and seasonal variability in occurrence and community structure (Boero et al, 2008;Fuentes et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Surface Layers of the Coastal Central Red Sea

et al. 2019

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Characterizations of gelatinous zooplankton communities are necessary for an improved understanding of the ecological and temporal dynamics of such communities and their composing taxa. Yet, studies on gelatinous zooplankton communities are scarce in the Red Sea, which is characterized by extreme temperature, high salinity and oligotrophic conditions. Here, we analyzed the occurrence of gelatinous zooplankton taxa in a timeseries of epipelagic samples taken from September 2016 to May 2018 in the central Red Sea to deliver the first complete characterization of gelatinous zooplankton in the Red Sea. General seasonal dynamics were found over the year, where higher gelatinous zooplankton abundances were relate to mostly with lower temperatures, lower salinity and to a lesser extent, with chlorophyll a, cross-shelf and along-shelf Ekman transport. Tunicates and siphonophores presented seasonal patterns, whereby total biovolume values were 10 3-10 5 higher in winter-early spring than in summer, and numbers > 100 higher in the bloom event of 2017/2018 than in 2016/2017. Ulmaridae (Aurelia sp.) peaked after the main bloom event of siphonophores and tunicates, and dominated total biovolume when present. Porpitidae was consistently present and showed no clear seasonality. Our results suggest that there is a noticeable seasonal trend in gelatinous zooplankton, marked by high occurrences in winter-early spring, very low occurrences over summer, and mostly dominated by Salpidae and Dyphidae. Porpitidae was a dominating group with non-seasonal occurrence, and Ulmaridae was also dominating but with very short and few occurrences. In addition, low abundance and biovolume (max. 8 ind m −3 and max. 10 3-10 6 mm 3 m −3) suggest that oligotrophic conditions may be limiting the productivity of gelatinous zooplankton communities in the Red Sea.

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“…Cacchione et al (1978) observed salp carcasses close to the seabed in the Hudson Canyon at ∼3,400 m water depth; salp carcasses might supply more than half of the daily energy requirements of benthic microfauna in that area (Wiebe et al, 1979). On top of northwest Atlantic canyons, jellyfish have been shown to play an important role in pelagic carbon cycling (Condon et al, 2011;Fuentes et al, 2018) and can also form a substantial food input for benthic communities (Luo et al, 2020) including those in the deep sea (Billett et al, 2006;Lebrato et al, 2012;Sweetman et al, 2014). Our findings about sharp differences in megafaunal composition between BC and NC agree with previous work from Brooke et al (2017) showing differences in the densities of hexacorals and octocorals between BC and NC.…”

Section: Changes In Megabenthic Associations Across Depthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Megabenthic Communities Under Contrasting Settings in Deep-Sea Cold Seeps Near Northwest Atlantic Canyons

et al. 2021

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Cold seeps support fragile deep-sea communities of high biodiversity and are often found in areas with high commercial interest. Protecting them from encroaching human impacts (bottom trawling, oil and gas exploitation, climate change) requires an advanced understanding of the drivers shaping their spatial distribution and biodiversity. Based on the analysis of 2,075 high-quality images from six remotely operated vehicle dives, we examined cold seep megabenthic community composition, richness, density, and biodiversity at a relatively shallow (∼400 m water depth) site near Baltimore Canyon (BC) and a much deeper site (∼1,500 m) near Norfolk Canyon (NC), in the northwest Atlantic. We found sharp differences in the megabenthic composition between the sites, which were driven mostly by bathymetric gradients. At both BC and NC there were significant differences in megabenthic composition across habitats. Hard habitats in and around cold seeps had significantly higher values of species richness, density, and biodiversity than soft habitats. Depth and habitat complexity were the leading environmental variables driving megabenthic variability. The presence of microbial mats and gas bubbling sites had a statistically significant contribution to explaining megabenthic variability mainly in the shallower BC and less in the deeper NC areas examined; drivers behind this discrepancy could be related to differences between BC and NC in terms of chemical compound fluxes and megafaunal life history characteristics. Our surveys revealed marine litter, primarily from commercial fisheries. This study highlights the importance of habitat complexity for the proliferation of highly diverse cold-seep ecosystems and underscores the importance of discovery science to inform spatial management of human activities in the deep and open ocean.

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Jellyfish blooms: advances and challenges

Cited by 11 publications

References 28 publications

Operational Protocols for the Use of Drones in Marine Animal Research

Operational Protocols for the Use of Drones in Marine Animal Research

Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Surface Layers of the Coastal Central Red Sea

Distribution of Megabenthic Communities Under Contrasting Settings in Deep-Sea Cold Seeps Near Northwest Atlantic Canyons

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