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Elemental Composition of Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865 and Its Implications for Nutrient Recycling in a Long Island Estuary

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An Erratum to this article was published on 06 September 2013

Abstract

The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi is an ecologically important predator in temperate coastal environments. Their populations fluctuate seasonally, serving as sinks of nutrients during periodic blooms, but as sources via excretion and during population collapse. Ctenophores were analyzed for elemental composition (C, N, and P) during 2008 and 2009 in Great South Bay, NY, USA. Salt-free weight percent C, N, and P correlated positively with ctenophore sizes and zooplankton prey abundances. Nitrogen and P were higher at the onset of blooms than during collapse when prey were substantially fewer. Ctenophores collected during average to high zooplankton densities had atomic ratios averaging C/N ~6:1 and C/P ~66:1, but became C- and P-depleted (C/N ~5:1, C/P ~128:1) with decreasing zooplankton. Incubations demonstrated rapid remineralization of ctenophore biomass (as NH4 +, HPO4 2−), following first order kinetics (e.g., k ~0.1–0.4 day−1) with enriched stoichiometric N and P fractionation relative to biomass under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Based on reported excretion rates, nutrient regeneration from excretion by active populations greatly exceeds nutrients remineralized during population crashes. To our knowledge, this is the first study documenting natural seasonal patterns in ctenophore elemental stoichiometry as a function of ctenophore size and prey availability.

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Acknowledgments

Support for this study was provided by the New York State Division of Coastal Resources and the National Science Foundation (9ANT-0542111 to DJL and OCE-0726702 to JLC and OCE-0851207 to RCA). We thank J. Aspell, M. Deangelis, C. Heilbrun, J. Aller, A. Kaushik, Y. Liu, M. Murray, L. Schnal, C. Wall, and K. Zamborsky for their assistance in the field and laboratory. We also wish to thank P. Kremer for her constructive comments on this manuscript. This is contribution #1416 of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5000, USA

    Marianne E. McNamara, Darcy J. Lonsdale & Robert C. Aller

  2. Biology Department, Suffolk County Community College, Selden, NY, 11784, USA

    Marianne E. McNamara

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  1. Marianne E. McNamara
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  2. Darcy J. Lonsdale
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  3. Robert C. Aller
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Correspondence to Marianne E. McNamara.

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McNamara, M.E., Lonsdale, D.J. & Aller, R.C. Elemental Composition of Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865 and Its Implications for Nutrient Recycling in a Long Island Estuary. Estuaries and Coasts 36, 1253–1264 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9636-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9636-x

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