First assessment of flux rates of jellyfish carcasses (jelly-falls) to the benthos reveals the importance of gelatinous material for biological C-cycling in jellyfish-dominated ecosystems

Sweetman, Andrew K.; Chapman, Annelise S.

doi:10.3389/fmars.2015.00047

Cited by 56 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The jellyfish addition represented an additional C‐input of 27.4 g jelly‐C m −2 . While this jellyfish detritus input was significantly greater than previously documented for Norwegian fjords (0–13.4 mg C m −2 , Sweetman and Chapman ), it was comparatively similar to jellyfish C‐inputs documented in other areas around the world (Gulf of Oman: 1.5–75 g C m −2 , Billett et al ; Ivory Coast: 1–20 g C m −2 , Lebrato and Jones ) and therefore allowed us to relatistically measure the seafloor impact from a large pulse of gelatinous detritus. The jellyfish that were used had been collected by a Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) in Lurefjorden, western Norway, in September 2010 and immediately frozen.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 63%

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Jellyfish decomposition at the seafloor rapidly alters biogeochemical cycling and carbon flow through benthic food‐webs

Sweetman

Chelsky

Pitt

et al. 2016

Limnology & Oceanography

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Jellyfish blooms have increased in magnitude in several locations around the world, including in fjords. While the factors that promote jellyfish blooms and the impacts of live blooms on marine ecosystems are often investigated, the post-bloom effects from the sinking and accumulation of dead jellyfish at the seafloor remain poorly known. Here, we quantified the effect of jellyfish deposition on short-term benthic carbon cycling dynamics in benthic cores taken from a cold and deep fjord environment. Respiration was measured and 13 C-labeled algae were used as a tracer to quantify how C-flow through the benthic food web was affected over 5 d in the presence and absence of jellyfish carcasses. Benthic respiration rates increased rapidly (within 2 h) in the jellyfish-amended cores, and were significantly higher than cores that were supplied with only labeled phytodetritus between 17 h and 117 h. In the cores that were supplied with only labeled phytodetritus, macrofauna dominated algal-C uptake over the 5 d study. The addition of jellyfish caused a rapid and significant shift in C-uptake dynamics: macrofaunal C-uptake decreased while bacterial C-uptake increased relative to the cores supplied with only phytodetritus. Our results suggest that the addition of jellyfish detritus to the seafloor can rapidly alter benthic biogeochemical cycling, and substantially modify C-flow through benthic communities. If our results are representative for other areas, they suggest that jellyfish blooms may have cascading effects for benthic ecosystem functions and services when blooms senesce, such as enhanced bacterial metabolism and reduced energy transfer to upper trophic levels.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 63%

“…obs.) and deep‐sea fjords in Norway (Sweetman and Chapman ). These collective observations suggest that gelatinous zooplankton carcasses (hereafter referred to as jelly‐falls) may provide an important transport vector for organic carbon and nitrogen to the seafloor (Sweetman and Chapman ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Jellyfish decomposition at the seafloor rapidly alters biogeochemical cycling and carbon flow through benthic food‐webs

Sweetman

Chelsky

Pitt

et al. 2016

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…Besides the high phytoplankton productivity, sediments of southern Norway fjords can be substantially enriched by nonpoint sources of terrestrial organic matter originating from fjord watersheds, as indicated by high shares of terrestrial C org estimated for Raunefjord. Additionally, in fjords in this region, massive blooms of mesopelagic medusa Periphylla periphylla can form fluxes of gelatinous C org that equal or even exceed fluxes of phytodetritus C org (Sweetman & Chapman, ). Anthropogenic pressure is obviously higher in southern Norway than in northern Norway and Arctic fjords.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Carbon Origin, Benthic Faunal Consumption, and Burial in Sediments of Northern Atlantic and Arctic Fjords (60–81°N)

et al. 2019

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Fjords have been recently recognized as hot spots of organic carbon (Corg) sequestration in marine sediments. This study aims to identify regional and local drivers of variability of Corg burial in north Atlantic and Arctic fjords. We provide a comparative quantification of Corg, δ13C, photosynthetic pigments content, benthic biomass, consumption, Corg accumulation, and burial rates in sediments in six fjords (60–81°N). Higher sediment Corg content in southern Norway reflected longer phytoplankton growth season and higher productivity. Higher contributions of terrestrial Corg were noted in temperate/southern Norway (dense land vegetation and high precipitation) and Arctic/Svalbard (glacial erosion) than in subarctic/northern Norway locations. Benthic biomass and carbon consumption were best correlated to δ13C and photosynthetic pigments content indicating control by quality rather than quantity of available food. Benthic faunal consumption did not seem to affect the variability in Corg burial. Regional environmental factors (water temperature and latitude) combined with local factors (Corg, grain size, and pigment concentration) explained 94% of Corg burial variability. Based on the present study and literature data on Corg content, origin, and burial rates, the fjords were classified into four categories: temperate, subarctic, Arctic with glaciers, and Arctic without glaciers. The variability in marine productivity, terrestrial inflows, and carbon sequestration in fjords must be considered for global estimates of their role in blue carbon storage and for building scenarios of future changes in the course of climate warming.

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“…When jelly‐falls accumulate at the seafloor, jelly‐falls can significantly alter marine benthic biogeochemical cycling by enhancing bacterial metabolism and reducing oxygen flux into sediments (Chelsky et al ; Sweetman et al ). The removal of carcasses by scavengers will thus play a major role in modifying the effect of jelly‐falls on the benthic environment, as well as enhancing the spatial distribution of C, N, and P transported to the deep sea by jelly‐falls (Sweetman and Chapman ; Sweetman et al ).…”

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Scavenging processes on jellyfish carcasses across a fjord depth gradient

Dunlop

Jones

Sweetman

2017

Limnology & Oceanography

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Gelatinous zooplankton populations have increased in some regions, specifically Norwegian fjords, which has likely increased the occurrence of dead jellyfish aggregations on the seafloor (jelly‐falls). The importance of scavengers in the redistribution of organic material from jelly‐falls and their biogeochemical influence on the benthic environment has been demonstrated. However, scavenger responses to jelly‐falls across environmental gradients have not been studied, but would significantly advance our understanding of the impact of jelly‐falls on benthic ecosystems in different regions. This study examined scavenging ecology on jelly‐falls across an upper‐bathyal depth gradient in a boreal oxygenated fjord using baited time‐lapse camera lander deployments. The mean maximum abundance of scavengers increased with depth (eight individuals at 250 m, 10 at 600 m, and 18 at 1250 m) and at shallower depths more scavenger species fed on the bait (six species at 250 m, five at 600 m, and four at 1250 m). Mean scavenging rates (841.5 g d−1 at 250 m; 667.7 g at 600 m; and 883.7 g at 1250 m), however, did not vary significantly with depth. The lack of detection of a significant depth effect in this study may result from steep fjord topography enhancing food supply to deep waters reducing food limitation at the seafloor. Significant temporal changes in scavenging dynamics were primarily caused by changes in the dynamics of lyssianassoid amphipods. This study demonstrates that scavengers can rapidly remove jellyfish carcasses at the seafloor across a range of upper bathyal depths, potentially reducing the effects of jellyfish decomposition in fjord benthic environments.

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First assessment of flux rates of jellyfish carcasses (jelly-falls) to the benthos reveals the importance of gelatinous material for biological C-cycling in jellyfish-dominated ecosystems

Abstract: First assessment of flux rates of jellyfish carcasses (jelly-falls) to the benthos reveals the importance of gelatinous material for biological C-cycling in jellyfish-dominated ecosystems. Front. Mar. Sci. 2:47.

Cited by 56 publications

References 39 publications

Jellyfish decomposition at the seafloor rapidly alters biogeochemical cycling and carbon flow through benthic food‐webs

Jellyfish decomposition at the seafloor rapidly alters biogeochemical cycling and carbon flow through benthic food‐webs

Organic Carbon Origin, Benthic Faunal Consumption, and Burial in Sediments of Northern Atlantic and Arctic Fjords (60–81°N)

Scavenging processes on jellyfish carcasses across a fjord depth gradient

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