Skip to main content
Log in

Testing the influence of previous-year temperature and food supply on development of Nemopilema nomurai blooms

  • CHINA JELLYFISH PROJECT
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Blooms of Nemopilema nomurai medusae have plagued East Asian coastal waters during the last decade. Recent studies indicate that the benthic polyp phase is important for reproductive potential and survival in scyphozoans. We investigated the effects of temperature and food on the development of N. nomurai polyps in the laboratory in Dalian, China. First, polyps were exposed to temperatures of 2.5–27.5°C in 2.5°C intervals. Next, we assessed the long-term cold tolerance by subjecting polyps to 0°C for 90 days. Third, we tested polyps in 16 combinations of temperature (8, 12, 16, and 20°C) and food supply (0.42, 1.25, 2.08, and 2.91 μg C polyp−1 day−1). Our results showed that N. nomurai polyps can survive from 0 to 27.5°C and overwinter without feeding. Production and excystment of podocysts did not occur at temperatures below 10°C. Somatic growth, podocyst-formation, and excystment increased with increasing temperature and were dramatically affected by food supply at warmer temperatures. Thus, warm temperatures (15–27.5°C) and abundant plankton biomass during the previous season should result in high productivity of polyps and significantly contribute to blooms of N. nomurai the following year.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arai, M. N., 2009. The potential importance of podocysts to the formation of scyphozoan blooms: a review. Hydrobiologia 616: 241–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bao, B. & G. Ren, 2014. Climatological characteristics and long-term change of SST over the marginal seas of China. Continental Shelf Research 77: 96–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, R., J. Chen & R. Huang, 2006. The response of marine environment in the offshore area of China and its adjacent ocean to recent global climate change. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences 30: 1019–1033. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cai, R., J. Chen & H. Tan, 2011. Variations of the sea surface temperature in the offshore area of China and their relationship with the East Asian monsoon under the global warming. Climatic and Environmental Research 16: 94–104. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cargo, D. G. & L. P. Schultz, 1966. Notes on the biology of the sea nettle, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, in Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Science 7: 95–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, D. M., 1970. Further observations on podocyst formation. Journal of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 50: 107–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. A., 2009. Chemical and physical fronts in the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas. Journal of Marine Systems 78: 394–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, J., F. Ding, S. Li, L. Yan, J. Ling, J. Li & Y. Liu, 2005. A study on the quantity distribution of macro- jellyfish and its relationship to seawater temperature and salinity in the East China Sea Region. Acta Ecologica Sinica 25: 440–445. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, M. N., 2003. Macro-morphological variation among cryptic species of the moon jellyfish, Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). Marine Biology 143: 369–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, G. & J. Chen, 1981. The life history of Rhopilema esculenta Kishinouye. Journal of Fisheries of China 5: 93–102. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong, J., M. Sun, J. E. Purcell, Y. Chai, Y. Zhao & A. Wang, 2014. Effect of salinity and light intensity on somatic growth and podocyst production in the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae). Hydrobiologia (in press).

  • Dong, J., M. Sun, Y. Zhao, B. Wang, X. Liu, X. Yu & C. Liu, 2012. Comparison of Nemopilema nomurai and other jellyfishes in reproductive biological characteristics and morphology. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 43: 550–555. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Duarte, C. M., K. A. Pitt, C. H. Lucas, J. E. Purcell, S. Uye, K. Robinson, L. Brotz, M. B. Decker, K. R. Sutherland, A. Malej, L. P. Madin, H. Mianzan, J. M. Gili, V. Fuentes, D. Atienza, F. Pagés, D. L. Breitburg, J. Malek, W. M. Graham & R. H. Condon, 2013. Is global ocean sprawl a cause of jellyfish blooms? Fronters in Ecology and the Environment 11: 91–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitt, W. K. & K. Costley, 1998. The role of temperature in survival of the polyp stage of the tropical rhizostome jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 222: 79–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, P., 1990. Effect of nutritional condition on the formation and germination of the podocyst of scyphistomae of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Journal of Fisheries of China 3: 206–211. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Han, C. H. & S. Uye, 2010. Combined effects of food supply and temperature on asexual reproduction and somatic growth of polyps of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita s.l. Plankton and Benthos Research 5: 98–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holst, S. & G. Jarms, 2010. Effects of low salinity on settlement and strobilation of Scyphozoa (Cnidaria): is the lion’s mane Cyanea capillata (L.) able to reproduce in the brackish Baltic Sea? Hydrobiologia 645: 53–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda, H., K. Ohtsu & S. Uye, 2011. Fine structure, histochemistry, and morphogenesis during excystment of the podocysts of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae). Biological Bulletin 221: 248–260.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawahara, M., K. Ohtsu & S. Uye, 2013. Bloom or non-bloom in the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae): roles of dormant podocysts. Journal of Plankton Research 35: 213–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kawahara, M., S. Uye, K. Ohtsu & H. Iizumi, 2006. Unusual population explosion of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) in East Asian waters. Marine Ecology Progress Series 307: 161–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ki, J. S., D. S. Hwang, K. Shin, W. D. Yoon, D. Lim, Y. S. Kang, Y. Lee & J. S. Lee, 2008. Recent moon jelly (Aurelia sp.1) blooms in Korean coastal waters suggest global expansion: examples inferred from mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS-5.85 rDNA sequences. ICES Journal of Marine Science 65: 443–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K., K. R. Kim, D. H. Min, Y. Volkov, J. H. Yoon & M. Takematsu, 2001. Warming and structural changes in the east (Japan) Sea: a clue to future changes in global oceans? Geophysical Research Letters 28: 3293–3296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, W. C., W. T. Lo, J. E. Purcell & H. H. Chang, 2009. Effects of temperature and light intensity on asexual reproduction of the scyphozoan, Aurelia aurita (L.) in Taiwan. Hydrobiologia 616: 247–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, N., S. Jiang & J. Chen, 1997. Effect of temperature, salinity and light on the podocyst generation of Rhopilema esculenta Kishinouye. Fisheries Science 1: 3–8. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, C. H., 2001. Reproduction and life history strategies of the common jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in relation to its ambient environment. Hydrobiologia 451: 229–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minami, H., Y. Kano & K. Ogawa, 1999. Long-term variations of potential temperature and dissolved oxygen of the Japan Sea proper water. Journal of Oceanography 55: 197–205.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., 2007. Environmental effects on asexual reproduction rates of the scyphozoan Aurelia labiata. Marine Ecology Progress Series 348: 183–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., S. Uye & W. T. Lo, 2007. Anthropogenic causes of jellyfish blooms and their direct consequences for humans: a review. Marine Ecology Progress Series 350: 153–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., J. R. White, D. A. Nemazie & D. A. Wright, 1999. Temperature, salinity and food effects on asexual reproduction and abundance of the scyphozoan Chrysaora quinquecirrha. Marine Ecology Progress Series 180: 486–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, J. E., D. Atienza, V. Fuentes, A. Olariaga, U. Tilves, C. Colahan & J. M. Gili, 2012. Temperature effects on asexual reproduction rates of scyphozoan species from the northwest Mediterranean Sea. Hydrobiologia 690: 169–180.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, A. J., A. Bakun, G. C. Hays & M. J. Gibbons, 2009. The jellyfish joyride: causes, consequences and management responses to a more gelatinous future. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 24: 312–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, M., J. Dong, Z. Fu & Y. Li, 2012. The effect of light intensity on survival and growth of scyphistomae in jellyfish, Aurelia sp. 1. Fisheries Science 31: 211–215. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun, M., J. Dong, Y. Chai & Y. Li, 2013. Effect of temperature and feeding frequency on asexual reproduction and polyp growth of the scyphozoan Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye. Acta Ecologica Sinica 33: 3222–3232. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thein, H., H. Ikeda & S. Uye, 2012. The potential role of podocysts in perpetuation of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita s. l. (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) in anthropogenically perturbed coastal waters. Hydrobiologia 690: 157–167.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thein, H., H. Ikeda & S. Uye, 2013. Ecophysiological characteristics of podocysts in Chrysaora pacifica (Goette) and Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae): effects of environmental factors on their production, dormancy and excystment. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 446: 151–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S., 2008. Blooms of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai: a threat to the fisheries sustainability of the East Asian Marginal Seas. Plankton and Benthos Research 3(Suppl): 125–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S., 2011. Human forcing of the copepod–fish–jellyfish triangular trophic relationship. Hydrobiologia 666: 71–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S., 2014. The giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai in East Asian marginal seas. In Pitt, K. A. & C. H. Lucas (eds), Jellyfish Blooms. Springer, Dordrecht: 185–205.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S. & Y. Kayano, 1994. Predatory feeding of the planktonic copepod Tortanus forcipatus on three different prey. Bulletin of the Plankton Society of Japan 40: 173–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uye, S. & Y. Ueta, 2004. Recent increase of jellyfish populations and their nuisance to fisheries in the Inland Sea of Japan. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography 68: 9–19. (In Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, B., Y. Qin, J. Dong, Y. Li, W. Wang, Y. Li, M. Sun & C. Liu, 2013. Dynamic distribution of Nemopilema nomurai in inshore waters of the northern Liaodong Bay, Bohai Sea. Acta Ecologica Sinica 33: 1701–1712. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willcox, S., N. Moltschaniwskyj & C. Crawford, 2007. Asexual reproduction in scyphistomae of Aurelia sp.: Effects of temperature and salinity in an experimental study. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 353: 107–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Y., Z. Xu, W. Fan & X. Cui, 2011. Change of sea surface temperature in East China Sea during 1985–2005. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 33: 9–18. (in Chinese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Y., J. Ishizaka, H. Yamaguchi, E. Siswanto & S. Wang, 2013. Relationships of interannual variability in SST and phytoplankton blooms with giant jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai) outbreaks in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Journal of Oceanography 69: 511–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, W. D., J. Y. Yang, M. B. Shim & H. K. Kang, 2008. Physical processes influencing the occurrence of the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) around Jeju Island, Korea. Journal of Plankton Research 30: 251–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, F., S. Sun, X. Jin & C. Li, 2012. Associations of large jellyfish distributions with temperature and salinity in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Hydrobiologia 690: 81–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., Y. Qiu & X. Wu, 2005. The long-term change for sea surface temperature in the last 100 years in the offshore sea of China. Climatic and Environmental Research 10: 799–807.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the reviewers and editors for their suggested improvements to the manuscript. This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(No. 2011CB403601), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31400406) and the Public Science and Technology Research Funds of Ocean, State Oceanic Administration of the People’s Republic of China (No. 201005018).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jing Dong.

Additional information

Guest editors: Song Sun, Xiaoxia Sun & Ian Jenkinson / Giant Jellyfish Blooms and Ecosystem Change

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sun, M., Dong, J., Purcell, J.E. et al. Testing the influence of previous-year temperature and food supply on development of Nemopilema nomurai blooms. Hydrobiologia 754, 85–96 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2046-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2046-7

Keywords

Navigation