Comments on: Jellyfish shift ocean food webs by feeding bacteria with mucus and excrement

By: Bernd Eickmann

Bernd Eickmann — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:20:33 +0000

The algae bloom ultimately leads to oxygen depletion, which in turn leads to an explosion in the jellyfish population, as jellyfish need less oxygen than their competition – having all the plankton more or less for themselves. But jellyfish are carnivores, so they depend on the herbivorous zooplankton feeding from the algae. I am wondering if and why the oxygen depletion is not affecting the diverse bunch of other animals the zooplankton consists of?

By: Liz in PA

Liz in PA — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:45:44 +0000

Another issue is the global shipping industry introducing non-native species by discharging bilge and other waste at ports of call. As for the jellyfish blooms they may well be an early stage symptom of repair even if our scientists do not understand the process.

By: Tamakazura

Tamakazura — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:35:33 +0000

I like jellyfish…they are beautiful, mesmerizing and elegantly simple creatures.
I am not a biologist but I worry that given how we are just now discovering how jelly blooms impact the ecosystem via bacteria, we may be being too quick to factor them into our doomsday scenarios–they may not impact CO2 levels at all due to a yet unknown part of the food chain.
Regardless, the jellyfish were here long before us or anything we’d recognize as a higher life form. They’ll most likely outlast us.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:50:29 +0000

@Elyse - added "ultimately" above to indicate that this isn't a direct process @Matt - For obvious reasons, jellies don't fossilise well. There are however exceptions: see here and here for a whole group of them

By: rdiac

rdiac — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:22:08 +0000

@Azkyroth I think we may find out what the prospects for farming/fishing jellyfish are like whether we like it or not. Perhaps Fox News could scope that out for us?

By: rdiac

rdiac — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:01:10 +0000

@Elyse, wasn’t the point that jellyfish transmit significantly less fixed nitrogen that would other wise form the basis of a more normal ecosystem? My read of it is that the bacteria are consuming the equivalent of empty calories and just exhaling (?) stuff that would otherwise be food for others. On the other hand, I don’t actually know enough to figure out if I just have no idea….

By: Azkyroth

Azkyroth — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:48:07 +0000

There’s a Fox News joke or three in here somewhere…

Otherwise, fascinating. I wonder what the prospects for farming/fishing jellyfish are like…

By: Emmy

Emmy — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:47:55 +0000

And here I was thinking that tropical rainforests would go first. Coral reefs are being destroyed by about 5 different types of pollution. Mangroves as well. Plastic pollution and synthetic hormones, acidification and warming temperatures. Oil spills. Now this. Do we know the implications of the ocean turning into a toxic wasteland?

By: Matt Gruner

Matt Gruner — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:42:44 +0000

Do you think these findings have a connection to the hypothesis that climate change events can lead to mass extinctions? I remember reading an article about paleontologist Peter Ward and his theories about the explosion of microbial life leading to toxic alterations to ecosystems during mass extinction events. Is there fossil evidence of previous jelly explosions?

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:24:21 +0000

Very interesting article. also is Elyse correct in saying this?