Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives

Abstract

Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies.

Cnidome and Morphological Features of Pelagia noctiluca (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) Throughout the Different Life Cycle Stages

“…The mauve stinger, P. noctiluca, is recognized as the most important jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea Canepa et al, 2014) due to its abundance along the basin and the severity of its sting (Mariottini et al, 2008;Marambio et al, 2021b). Generally, the sting produces local symptoms such as severe pain, burning sensation, erythema, edema and vesicles (Cegolon et al, 2013;Montgomery et al, 2016;Hall, 2018).…”

Long-term Monitoring of Carnivorous Gelatinous Macrozooplankton in the Area of Dubrovnik-Neretva County (Croatia)

“…Values represent the highest frequency of jellyfi sh occurrence in a given month, regardless of the number of reports received. Several authors have already used similar methods to present the results of macrozooplankton research [27,43,16,48,62,79,54].…”

Trial Assay for Safe First-Aid Protocol for the Stinging Sea Anemone Anemonia viridis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) and a Severe Toxic Reaction

“…In contrast to the high number of fatalities in tropical and subtropical coastal regions [9,10], species that inhabit the Mediterranean Sea commonly cause low to mild skin reactions and annoyances for beach users [13,14], and in isolated cases, systemic symptoms [15][16][17]. Scyphozoans such as Pelagia noctiluca and Rhizostoma pulmo are common jellyfish in the Mediterranean basin, and their stings are one of the main reasons for seeking assistance from the rescue services [18,19]. However, other cnidarians, such as sea anemones, are also responsible for severe skin reactions in the Mediterranean basin [17,20,21].…”