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Effects of temperature regime and food supply on asexual reproduction in Cyanea nozakii and Nemopilema nomurai

  • CHINA JELLYFISH PROJECT
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Abstract

Cyanea nozakii and Nemopilema nomurai are two major giant jellyfish species frequently blooming in East Asian waters in recent decades. In order to inspect their asexual reproduction performance in climate regimes associated with global warming, variations of podocyst reproduction and strobilation were investigated at five different temperature regimes (approximate simulation of summer in warm years and cold years: temperature increased from 18 to 25°C and then decreased to 18 and 10°C in three months, respectively; approximate simulation of autumn in warm years and cold years: temperature decreased from 18 to 10°C in two and three months, respectively; control: constant 18°C), and three food frequencies (once per 3d, once per 6d, and unfed). Strobilation in C. nozakii occurred at warmer temperature (≥18°C) but lower temperature (≤18°C) in N. nomurai. More than 90% of ephyrae of C. nozakii and N. nomurai were released in the thermal ranges of 22–25°C and 10–13°C, respectively. Higher percentages of polyps produced podocysts, and increased podocyst production was observed at warmer temperature (>18°C) and more food supplies in both species. The numbers of ephyrae in C. nozakii and podocysts in N. nomurai were significantly increased by prolonged duration of 18–25°C in summer during warm years. Simultaneously, prolonged duration of 10–18°C significantly increased strobilation percentage, ephyra, and podocyst production in N. nomurai in the autumn. More polyps of N. nomurai strobilating in the autumn proved adverse to outbreaks of medusae in the following summer. The results of this study indicate that the response of asexual reproduction to ocean warming appears species specific. Increased ephyra production in C. nozakii but higher podocyst reproduction in N. nomurai is expected in summer and autumn during warm years.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Miss Zhenghua Zhang for caring for the polyps. We are grateful to the fishermen of the ship ‘Lulao Yu 2030’, Qun Liu, Aiyong Wan, and Yantao Wang, for help with sampling Cyanea nozakii and Nemopilema nomurai adults for fertilization in the field. We are deeply thankful to Professor Ian Jenkinson for editing and constructive suggestions on the manuscript. We are grateful to two anonymous referees for suggesting important improvements. This research was supported by National Key Fundamental Developing Project No. 2011CB403601. Song Feng completed the experiment and wrote this manuscript with the help of Guangtao Zhang and Song Sun. Guangtao Zhang and Song Sun contributed equally to this work and should be considered as co-corresponding authors.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266071, Qingdao, China

      Song Feng, Song Sun & Fang Zhang

    2. Jiaozhou Bay Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 266071, Qingdao, China

      Guang-Tao Zhang, Song Sun, Shi-Wei Wang & Meng-Tan Liu

    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China

      Song Feng

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    Correspondence to Song Sun.

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    Guang-Tao Zhang and Song Sun contributed equally to this work and should be considered as co-corresponding authors.

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

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    Feng, S., Zhang, GT., Sun, S. et al. Effects of temperature regime and food supply on asexual reproduction in Cyanea nozakii and Nemopilema nomurai . Hydrobiologia 754, 201–214 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2279-0

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