Decadal Changes in Hydrozoan Community Structure

Presenter Information

Anthony Tamberelli
Paul A.X. Bologna

Presentation Type

Poster

Faculty Advisor

Paul Bologna

Access Type

Event

Start Date

26-4-2023 1:44 PM

End Date

26-4-2023 2:45 PM

Description

In response to two noticeable blooms in gelatinous zooplankton following Hurricane Sandy and the closure of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a continual jellyfish community evaluation has been conducted in Barnegat Bay, NJ, since 2012. Plankton tows and lift nets were used at various sites throughout the bay to sample organisms and collect density data. Initially, the community was dominated by the scyphozoan Chrysaora chesapeakei and the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, both of which contributed to great reductions in other gelatinous species. When Hurricane Sandy struck the western Mid-Atlantic coast in 2012, disturbances to aquatic communities caused a significant decrease in C. chesapeakei densities in subsequent years, resulting in the growth and expansion of numerous hydrozoans species including Turritopsis dohrnii, Nemopsis bachei, Rathkea spp., and Gonionemus vertens. When the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station was shut down in 2018—whose operation for over 50 years had negatively impacted Barnegat Bay through cooling system mortalities and significant thermal loading—we again saw an emergence of several key hydrozoans including T. dohrnii, as well as other non-native hydrozoans including Eucheilota maculata and Aequora australis; significant increases were especially noted for N. bachei. The combined freedom from predation, and destruction and stress from the power plant has led to the emergence of a robust hydrozoan medusae community in Barnegat Bay. What is unknown is whether the continued recovery of the apex predator C. chesapeakei will cause future declines in the abundance and distribution of hydrozoan medusae.

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Apr 26th, 1:44 PM Apr 26th, 2:45 PM

Decadal Changes in Hydrozoan Community Structure

In response to two noticeable blooms in gelatinous zooplankton following Hurricane Sandy and the closure of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a continual jellyfish community evaluation has been conducted in Barnegat Bay, NJ, since 2012. Plankton tows and lift nets were used at various sites throughout the bay to sample organisms and collect density data. Initially, the community was dominated by the scyphozoan Chrysaora chesapeakei and the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, both of which contributed to great reductions in other gelatinous species. When Hurricane Sandy struck the western Mid-Atlantic coast in 2012, disturbances to aquatic communities caused a significant decrease in C. chesapeakei densities in subsequent years, resulting in the growth and expansion of numerous hydrozoans species including Turritopsis dohrnii, Nemopsis bachei, Rathkea spp., and Gonionemus vertens. When the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station was shut down in 2018—whose operation for over 50 years had negatively impacted Barnegat Bay through cooling system mortalities and significant thermal loading—we again saw an emergence of several key hydrozoans including T. dohrnii, as well as other non-native hydrozoans including Eucheilota maculata and Aequora australis; significant increases were especially noted for N. bachei. The combined freedom from predation, and destruction and stress from the power plant has led to the emergence of a robust hydrozoan medusae community in Barnegat Bay. What is unknown is whether the continued recovery of the apex predator C. chesapeakei will cause future declines in the abundance and distribution of hydrozoan medusae.