The role of hyperiid parasites as a trophic link between jellyfish and fishes

Abstract

The trophic interactions between the scyphozoan medusa Chrysaora plocamia and the palm ruff Seriolella violacea were investigated off northern Chile and showed that large numbers of hyperiid amphipods parasitizing the medusa may channel energy back to the fishes, which feed on the parasites. The biomass of hyperiids eaten by the fish was a function of the biomass of hyperiids parasitizing the medusa. This temporally available food supply may enhance fish recruitment. The large number of hyperiids parasitizing diverse jellyfish species represents a missing trophic link in current efforts to understand the effects of jellyfish blooms on marine food webs.

Trophic relationships between the large scyphomedusa Chrysaora plocamia and the parasitic amphipod Hyperia curticephala

“…This indicates that parasites living on hosts of different sizes, which harbour parasites at different densities, have similar diet patterns. Moreover, this is in line with the fact that C. plocamia showed no significant isotopic variation between mesoglea and gonad, because juveniles commonly feed on mesoglea and adults subsequently feed mainly on gonads (see Laval 1980;Riascos et al 2012), which could represent a source of variability in isotopic composition of the parasite (see Towanda and Thuesen 2006). Therefore, our second hypothesis can be rejected.…”

“…At the start of the pelagic season, the population is comprised mainly of large adult medusae; at the end, juvenile medusae are more common due to high adult mortality (Ceh et al 2015). Additionally, the burden of hyperiids was found to be high in the middle of the pelagic season of C. plocamia (Riascos et al 2012). Therefore, sampling was performed on 23 January 2012 to obtain the widest possible size range of C. plocamia (9-39 cm).…”

“…Verity and Smetacek 1996) to the recognition that trophic interactions with fishes and invertebrates are diverse and ecologically relevant (Ohtsuka et al 2009;Riascos et al 2013;D'Ambra et al 2015). Among the taxa associated with jellyfish, parasitic hyperiid amphipods are of special importance: most of the ~ 250 hyperiid species described are symbiotically associated with different groups of gelatinous animals (Laval 1980;Vinogradov et al 1996), and they may be an important trophic link channelling energy to diverse fish species (Riascos et al 2012). Hyperiids have been distinctly considered as parasites, parasitoids and micropredators (Ohtsuka et al 2009;Oliva et al 2010) because they can occur in great numbers and may contribute to the decline of host populations (Mills 1993;Pitt et al 2014).…”

The southernmost record of the amphipod Hyperia curticephala (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidae) in the Pacific Ocean

“…All of the species in this genus are associated with jellyfish or ctenophorans (as ectoparasites, parasitoids and commensales), and they feed on the residual food of their hosts and eat away their tissues (Vinogradov et al, 1996). Hyperia curticephala has also been cited as a trophic link between jellyfish and fishes, being a primary prey for the palm ruff Seriolella violacea (Riascos et al, 2012).…”

Human-driven Benthic Jellyfish Blooms: Causes and Consequences for Coastal Marine Ecosystems

“…Jellyfish are pervasive marine organisms that are increasingly recognized as critical components of marine food webs , Condon et al 2011, Riascos et al 2012. Jellyfish can regulate population and community dynamics, as well as ecosystem processes, by acting as predators on zooplankton, competing with zooplanktivores for food, and excreting nutrients which are utilized as a resource primary producers and microbes , West et al 2009, Uye 2011.…”