Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial overlap and trophic interactions between pelagic fish and large jellyfish in the northern California Current

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recent studies have indicated that populations of gelatinous zooplankton may be increasing and expanding in geographic coverage, and these increases may in turn affect coastal fish populations. We conducted trawl surveys in the northern California Current and documented a substantial biomass of scyphomedusae consisting primarily of two species (Chrysaora fuscescens and Aurelia labiata). Spatial overlap of these jellyfish with most pelagic fishes, including salmon, was generally low, but there were regions of relatively high overlap where trophic interactions may have been occurring. We compared feeding ecology of jellyfish and pelagic fishes based on diet composition and found that trophic overlap was high with planktivorous species that consume copepods and euphausiid eggs such as Pacific sardines (Sardinops sagax), northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), Pacific saury (Cololabis saira), and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi). Moreover, isotope and diet analyses suggest that jellyfish occupy a trophic level similar to that of small pelagic fishes such as herring, sardines and northern anchovy. Thus jellyfish have the potential, given their substantial biomass, of competing with these species, especially in years with low ecosystem productivity where prey resources will be limited.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arai MN (1988) Interactions of fish and pelagic coelenterates. Can J Zool 66:1913–1927

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arai MN (2001) Pelagic coelenterates and eutrophication: a review. Hydrobiology 451:69–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson A, Siegel V, Pakhomov E, Rothery P (2004) Long-term decline in krill stock and increase in salps within the Southern Ocean. Nature 432:100–103

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Attrill MJ, Wright J, Edwards M (2007) Climate-related increases in jellyfish frequency suggest a more gelatinous future for the North Sea. Limnol Oceanogr 52:480–485

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakun A, Weeks SJ (2006) Adverse feedback sequences in exploited marine systems: are deliberate interruptive actions warranted? Fish Fish 7:316–333

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch GM (1984) Competition between marine organisms: ecological and evolutionary implications. Oceanogr Mar Biol Ann Rev 22:429–593

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur RD, Mills CE, Overland JE, Walters GE, Schumacher JD (1999) Substantial increase in gelatinous zooplankton in the Bering Sea, with possible links to climate change. Fish Oceanogr 8:296–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodeur RD, Sugisaki H, Hunt GL Jr (2002) Increases in jellyfish biomass in the Bering Sea: implications for the ecosystem. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 233:89–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Case TJ, Gilpin ME (1974) Interference competition and niche theory. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 71:3073–3077

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chan F, Barth JA, Lubchenco J, Kirincich A, Weeks H, Peterson WT, Menge BA (2008) Emergence of anoxia in the California Current large marine ecosystem. Science 319:920

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chiles J-P, Delfiner P (1999) Geostatistics: modeling spatial uncertainty. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello JH, Colin SP (1994) Morphology, fluid motion, and predation by the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita. Mar Biol 121:327–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cressie NAC (1993) Statistics for spatial data. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmett RL, Brodeur RD, Miller TW, Pool SS, Bentley PJ, Krutzikowsky GK, McCrae J (2005) Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) abundance, distribution and ecological relationships in the Pacific Northwest. Calif Coop Oceanic Fish Invest Rep 46:122–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Essington TE, Beaudreau AH, Wiedenmann J (2006) Fishing through marine food webs. Proc Natl Acad Sci 103:3171–3175

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fancett MS, Jenkins GP (1988) Predatory impact of scyphomedusae on ichthyoplankton and other zooplankton in Port Phillip Bay. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 116:63–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham WM, Bayha KM (2007) Biological invasions by marine jellyfish. In: Nentwig W (ed) Ecological studies, vol 193, biological invasions. Springer, Berlin, pp 240–255

  • Grantham BA, Chan F, Nielsen KJ, Fox DS, Barth JA, Huyer J, Lubchenco J, Menge BA (2004) Upwelling-driven nearshore hypoxia signals ecosystem and oceanographic changes in the northeast Pacific. Nature 429:749–754

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greene CH (1985) Planktivore functional groups and patterns of prey selection in pelagic communities. J Plankton Res 7:35–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston K, Ver Hoef JM, Krivoruchko K, Lucas N (2001) Using ArcGIS geostatistical analyst. ESRI, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Link JS, Ford MD (2006) Widespread and persistent increase of Ctenophora in the northeast US shelf ecosystem. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 320:153–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam CP, Brierley AS (2007) Enhanced survival of 0-group gadoid fish under jellyfish umbrellas. Mar Biol 150:1397–1401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam CP, Hay SJ, Brierley AS (2004) Interannual variability in abundance of North Sea jellyfish and links to the North Atlantic oscillation. Limnol Oceanog 49:637–643

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam CP, Hay SJ, Brierley AS (2005) Jellyfish abundance and climatic variation: contrasting responses in oceanographically distinct regions of the North Sea, and possible implications for fisheries. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 85:435–450

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam CP, Gibbons MJ, Axelsen BE, Sparks CAJ, Coetzee J, Heywood BG, Brierley AS (2006) Jellyfish overtake fish in a heavily fished ecosystem. Curr Biol 16:R492–R493

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madin LP (1988) Feeding behavior of tentaculate predators: in situ observations and a conceptual model. Bull Mar Sci 43:413–429

    Google Scholar 

  • Matheron G (1971) The theory of regionalized variables and its applications. Les Cahiers du Centre de Morphologie Mathématique, Fascicule 5, Centre de Géostatistique, Fontainebleau

  • Miller TW (2006a) Trophic dynamics of marine nekton and zooplankton in the northern California Current pelagic ecosystem. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 212 p

  • Miller TW (2006b) Tissue-specific response of δ15 N in adult Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) following an isotopic shift in diet. Environ Biol Fish 76:177–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller TW, Brodeur RD (2007) Diet of and trophic relationships among dominant marine nekton within the northern California Current ecosystem. Fish Bull 105:548–559

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills CE (2001) Jellyfish blooms: are populations increasing globally in response to changing ocean conditions? Hydrobiologia 451:55–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Möller H (1984) Reduction of a larval herring population by jellyfish predator. Science 224:621–622

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mullon C, Fréon P, Cury P (2005) The dynamics of collapse in world fisheries. Fish Fish 6:111–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons TR, Lalli CM (2002) Jellyfish population explosions: revisiting a hypothesis of possible causes. La Mer 40:111–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Christensen V, Dalsgaard J, Froese R, Torres R Jr (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279:860–863

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson WT et al. (2006) The state of the California Current, 2005–2006: warm in the north, cool in the south. Calif Coop Oceanic Fish Invest Rep 47:30–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Post DM (2002) Using stable isotopes to estimate trophic position: models, methods, and assumptions. Ecology 83:703–718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE (1985) Predation on fish eggs and larvae by pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores. Bull Mar Sci 37:739–755

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE (1989) Predation on fish larvae and eggs by the hydromedusa Aequorea victoria at a herring spawning ground in British Columbia. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 46:1415–1427

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE (1990) Soft-bodied zooplankton predators and competitors of larval herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) at herring spawning grounds in British Columbia. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 47:505–515

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE (2005) Climate effects on formation of jellyfish and ctenophore blooms. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 85:461–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Arai MN (2001) Interactions of pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores with fish: a review. Hydrobiologia 451:27–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Decker MB (2005) Effects of climate on relative predation by schyphomedusae and ctenophores on copepods in Chesapeake Bay during 1987–2000. Limnol Oceanogr 50:376–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Sturdevant MV (2001) Prey selection and dietary overlap among zooplanktivorous jellyfish and juvenile fishes in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 210:67–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Nemazie DA, Dorsey SE, Houde ED, Gamble JC (1994) Predation mortality of bay anchovy Anchoa mitchelli eggs and larvae due to schyphomedusae and ctenophores in Chesapeake Bay. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 114:47–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Malej A, Benovi A (1999) Potential links of jellyfish to eutrophication and fisheries. In: Ecosystems at the land-sea margin: drainage basin to Coastal Sea. Coastal and Estuarine Studies 55:241–263

  • Purcell JE, Graham WM, Dumont HJ (2001a) Jellyfish blooms: ecological and societal importance. Developments in hydrobiology, vol 155. Kluwer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Purcell JE, Breitburg DL, Decker MB, Graham WM, Youngbluth MJ, Raskoff KA (2001b) Pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores in low dissolved oxygen environments: a review. In: Rabalais NN, Turner RE (eds) Coastal hypoxia: consequences for living resources and ecosystems. American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, Coastal and Estuarine Studies 58:77–100

  • Purcell JE, Uye S, Lo W-T (2007) Anthropogenic causes of jellyfish blooms and their direct consequences for humans: a review. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 350:152–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese DC (2005) Distribution, structure, and function of marine ecological communities in the northern California Current upwelling ecosystem. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 258 p

  • Reese DC, Brodeur RD (2006) Identifying and characterizing biological hotspots in the Northern California Current. Deep Sea Res II 53:291–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese DC, Miller TW, Brodeur RD (2005) Community structure of near-surface zooplankton in the northern California Current in relation to oceanographic conditions. Deep Sea Res II 52:29–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford LD Jr, Thuesen EV (2005) Metabolic performance and survival of medusae in estuarine hypoxia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 294:189–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruzicka JJ, Brodeur RD, Wainwright TC (2007) Seasonal food web models for the Oregon inner-shelf ecosystem: investigating the role of large jellyfish. Calif Coop Oceanic Fish Invest Rep 48:106–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Schabetsberger R, Morgan CA, Brodeur RD, Potts CL, Peterson WT, Emmett RL (2003) Prey selectivity and diel feeding chronology of juvenile chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon in the Columbia River plume. Fish Oceanogr 12:523–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shenker JM (1984) Scyphomedusae in surface waters near the Oregon coast, May–August 1981. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 19:619–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiganova TA (1998) Invasion of the Black Sea by the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi and recent changes in pelagic community structure. Fish Oceanogr 7:305–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiganova TA, Bulgakova YV (2000) Effects of gelatinous plankton on Black Sea and Sea of Azov fish and their food resources. ICES J Mar Sci 57:641–648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoji J, Masuda R, Yamashita Y, Tanaka M (2005) Effect of low dissolved oxygen concentrations on behavior and predation rates of red sea bream Pagrus major larvae by the jellyfish Aurelia aurita and by juvenile Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius. Mar Biol 147:863–868

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suchman CL, Brodeur RD (2005) Abundance and distribution of large medusae in surface waters of the northern California Current. Deep Sea Res II 52:51–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suchman CL, Sullivan BK (2000) Effect of prey size on vulnerability of copepods to predation by the scyphomedusae Aurelia aurita and Cyanea sp. J Plankton Res 22:2289–2306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suchman CL, Daly EA, Keister JE, Peterson WT, Brodeur RD (2008) Feeding patterns and predation potential of scyphomedusae in a highly productive upwelling region. Mar Ecol Prog Ser (in press)

  • Thuesen EV, Rutherford LD Jr, Brommer PL, Garrison K, Gutowska MA, Towanda T (2005) Intragel oxygen promotes hypoxia tolerance of scyphomedusae. J Exp Biol 208:2475–2482

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace HJ, Ramsay S (1983) Reliability in measuring diet overlap. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 40:347–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Xian W, Kang B, Liu R (2005) Jellyfish blooms in the Yangtze Estuary. Science 307:41

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We express our thanks to S. Pool (Oregon State University) for help on the database management, Drs. Chris Harvey and Ed Casillas (NWFSC, NMFS), Jennifer Purcell (Sea Pen Scientific Writing LLC), and three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. Funding was provided by the US GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Program and the Bonneville Power Administration. This is GLOBEC Contribution number 592.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, 97365, USA

    R. D. Brodeur & C. L. Suchman

  2. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA

    C. L. Suchman

  3. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    D. C. Reese

  4. Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, 2–5, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan

    T. W. Miller

  5. Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, 97365, USA

    E. A. Daly

Authors
  1. R. D. Brodeur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. L. Suchman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. C. Reese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. W. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. A. Daly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. D. Brodeur.

Additional information

Communicated by B.S. Stewart.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brodeur, R.D., Suchman, C.L., Reese, D.C. et al. Spatial overlap and trophic interactions between pelagic fish and large jellyfish in the northern California Current. Mar Biol 154, 649–659 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0958-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-0958-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation