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Use of respiration rates of scyphozoan jellyfish to estimate their effects on the food web

  • Jellyfish Blooms
  • Chapter
Jellyfish Blooms: New Problems and Solutions

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology 212 ((DIHY,volume 212))

Abstract

One of the main objectives of research on jellyfish is to determine their effects on the food web. They are voracious consumers that have similar diets to those of zooplanktivorous fish, as well as eating microplankton and ichthyoplankton. Respiration rates (RRs) can be used to estimate the amount of food needed to balance metabolism, and thereby estimate minimum ingestion. We compiled RRs for scyphozoan medusae in three suborders (Semeaostomeae, Rhizostomeae, and Coronatae) to determine if a single regression could relate RRs to mass for diverse scyphomedusan species. Temperature (7–30°C) was not a significant factor. RRs versus wet weight (WW) regressions differed significantly for semeaostome and rhizostome medusae; however, RRs versus carbon mass over five-orders of magnitude did not differ significantly among suborders. RRs were isometric against medusa carbon mass, with data for all species scaling to the power 0.94. The scyphomedusa respiration rate (SRR) regression enables estimation of RR for any scyphomedusa from its carbon mass. The error of the SRR regression was ±72%, which is small in comparison with the 1,000-fold variation in field sampling. This predictive equation (RR in ml O2 d−1 = 83.37 * g C0.940) can be used to estimate minimum ingestion by scyphomedusae without exhaustive collection of feeding data. In addition, effects of confinement on RRs during incubation of medusae were tested. Large medusae incubated in small container volumes (CV) relative to their size (ratios of CV:WW < 50) had RRs ~one-tenth those of medusae in relatively larger containers. Depleted oxygen during incubation did not depress RRs of the medusae; however, swimming may have been restricted and respiration reduced in consequence. We briefly review other problems with RR experiments and suggest protocols and limitations for estimating ingestion rates of jellyfish from metabolic rates.

Guest editors: J. E. Purcell & Dror Angel / Jellyfish Blooms: New Problems and Solutions

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Ciencies del Mar, CSIC, P. Marítim de la Barcelona 37–49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Verónica Fuentes, Dacha Atienza & Uxue Tilves

  2. Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía, CSIC, Avda. República, Saharaui no 2, 11519, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    Diana Astorga

  3. Graduate School of Biosphere Sciences, Hiroshima University, 4-4, Kagamiyama 1 Chome, 739-8528, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan

    Masato Kawahara

  4. Department of Pure and Applied Ecology, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Swansea University, SA2 8PP, Swansea, UK

    Graeme C. Hays

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  1. Jennifer E. Purcell
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  2. Verónica Fuentes
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Correspondence to Jennifer E. Purcell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Shannon Point Marine Center, Western Washington University, 1900 Shannon Point Rd, 98221, WA, Anacortes, USA

    Jennifer E. Purcell

  2. Coastal and Marine Resources Centre, University College Cork, Naval Base, Haulbowline Island, Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland

    Jennifer E. Purcell

  3. Department of Maritime Civilizations, Leon Recanati Institute of Maritime Studies, Haifa University, 31905, Mt Carmel, Haifa, Israel

    Dror L. Angel

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Purcell, J.E. et al. (2010). Use of respiration rates of scyphozoan jellyfish to estimate their effects on the food web. In: Purcell, J.E., Angel, D.L. (eds) Jellyfish Blooms: New Problems and Solutions. Developments in Hydrobiology 212, vol 212. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9541-1_11

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