Diversity and Physiological Tolerance of Native and Invasive Jellyfish/Ctenophores along the Extreme Salinity Gradient of the Baltic Sea.

Jaspers, Cornelia , Bezio, Nicholas and Hinrichsen, Hans-Harald (2021) Diversity and Physiological Tolerance of Native and Invasive Jellyfish/Ctenophores along the Extreme Salinity Gradient of the Baltic Sea. Open Access Diversity, 13 (2). Art.Nr. 57. DOI 10.3390/d13020057.

[thumbnail of diversity-13-00057-v2.pdf]
Preview
Text
diversity-13-00057-v2.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0.

Download (3MB) | Preview

Supplementary data:

Abstract

Global change has led to manifold changes of marine ecosystems and biodiversity world-wide. While it has been shown that certain jellyfish and comb jelly species have increased regionally, it remains to be investigated if this is a general trend or localized phenomenon. Especially for the economically important Baltic Sea, which is characterized by an extreme physical environmental gradient, this question has not been addressed to date. Here we present a detailed account of the gelatinous macro-zooplankton community including their physiological tolerance towards abiotic conditions and resulting distribution ranges in the Baltic. We show that the arrival and establishment of non-indigenous species has led to a rising importance of jellyfish and comb jellies in the Baltic. This accounts for the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi, which was first observed in Northern Europe in 2005, as well as for the hydromedusae Blackfordia virginica, first sighted in 2014. Both species have been shown to attain high population densities with pronounced grazing impact in other invasive regions. Given the current and anticipated changes of the physical environment of the Baltic Sea, especially ongoing warming, amplification of their impact can be expected.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: Aurelia aurita; Blackfordia virginica; brackish water environment; invasive species; jellyfish blooms; Mnemiopsis leidyi; Cyanea capillata
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB3 Marine Ecology > FB3-EV Marine Evolutionary Ecology
Main POF Topic: PT6: Marine Life
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: Yes
Publisher: MDPI
Date Deposited: 05 Feb 2021 08:11
Last Modified: 07 Feb 2024 15:42
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/51729

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item