Identifying the drivers of abundance and size of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in Northwestern Mediterranean lagoons

Delpy, Floriane; Albouy-Boyer, Séverine; Pagano, Marc; Thibault, Delphine; Blanchot, Jean; Guilhaumon, François; Molinero, Juan Carlos; Bonnet, Delphine

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.05.026

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…abundances were much lower, the authors concluded that high ephyrae production excluded M. leidyi from establishing in the inner part. Similar situations have been observed in Mediterranean French lagoons (Marques et al, 2015;Delpy et al, 2016), with similar conclusions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…The jellyfish phenology predicted by the model (Table 2) is corroborated by many studies comparing seasonal dynamics of metagenic (Aurelia sp.) and holoplanktonic jellyfish (mostly M. leidyi) in temperate regions (Kinoshita et al, 2006;Riisgård et al, 2010Marques et al, 2015;Delpy et al, 2016); in these temperate regions, M. leidyi consistently blooms later in the season than Aurelia sp., though caution should be exercised, since M. leidyi is a warm-water adapted species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Boom and Bust: Life History, Environmental Noise, and the (un)Predictability of Jellyfish Blooms

2018

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Jellyfish (pelagic Cnidarians and Ctenophores) form erratic and seemingly unpredictable blooms with often large, transient effects on ecosystem structure. To rapidly capitalize on favorable conditions, jellyfish can employ different life histories, which are either a life cycle with one annual sexual reproduction event and an overwintering benthic stage (metagenic life cycle), or continuous reproduction and a holoplanktonic life cycle. However, the links between life history, blooms, and environmental variability are unclear. Here, we examine how environmental variability can drive the bloom dynamics of typical jellyfish in coastal enclosed or semi-enclosed temperate ecosystems. With a simple community model, we reproduce typical seasonalities of the two strategies and trophic cascades triggered by abundant jellyfish, demonstrating how erratic blooms can be generated by irregular changes in the environment. Consistent with literature observations, we predict that metagenic jellyfish dominate early in the season, compared to holoplanktonic organisms, and are favored by increased seasonality. Our results reveal possible mechanisms driving coastal patterns of jellyfish blooms, and factors that are important for the outcome of competition between jellyfish with different life cycles. Such knowledge is important for our understanding of jellyfish blooms, which have large consequences for human activities and well-being, and may improve our ability to predict and manage local ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Boom and Bust: Life History, Environmental Noise, and the (un)Predictability of Jellyfish Blooms

2018

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“…This might explain the observed delay in colonization and secondary spread, even though direct transport via ballast‐water discharge from the Black Sea cannot be ruled out. Especially in lagoon systems along the north‐western Mediterranean Sea, M. leidyi reaches high abundances in, for example, the Berre and Bages‐Sigean Lagoons, France, and Mar Menor, Spain (Boero et al, ; Delpy et al, ; Marambio et al, ). Year‐round populations also exist along the open Mediterranean coastline (e.g., in the Balearic Sea off Dénia, Spain) and in river deltas such as the Spanish Ebro Delta (Supporting Information Appendix 2, Table S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, discharge of ballast water and the seeding of animals in western areas (e.g., Morocco) make the entire African coastline prone to invasions by M. leidyi (Figures 1 and 2). (Boero et al, 2009;Delpy et al, 2016;Marambio et al, 2013).…”

Section: Correlation Of Southern Invasion History With Ocean Currenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean current connectivity propelling the secondary spread of a marine invasive comb jelly across western Eurasia

Jaspers

Huwer

Antajan

et al. 2018

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim Invasive species are of increasing global concern. Nevertheless, the mechanisms driving further distribution after the initial establishment of non‐native species remain largely unresolved, especially in marine systems. Ocean currents can be a major driver governing range occupancy, but this has not been accounted for in most invasion ecology studies so far. We investigate how well initial establishment areas are interconnected to later occupancy regions to test for the potential role of ocean currents driving secondary spread dynamics in order to infer invasion corridors and the source–sink dynamics of a non‐native holoplanktonic biological probe species on a continental scale. Location Western Eurasia. Time period 1980s–2016. Major taxa studied ‘Comb jelly’ Mnemiopsis leidyi. Methods Based on 12,400 geo‐referenced occurrence data, we reconstruct the invasion history of M. leidyi in western Eurasia. We model ocean currents and calculate their stability to match the temporal and spatial spread dynamics with large‐scale connectivity patterns via ocean currents. Additionally, genetic markers are used to test the predicted connectivity between subpopulations. Results Ocean currents can explain secondary spread dynamics, matching observed range expansions and the timing of first occurrence of our holoplanktonic non‐native biological probe species, leading to invasion corridors in western Eurasia. In northern Europe, regional extinctions after cold winters were followed by rapid recolonizations at a speed of up to 2,000 km per season. Source areas hosting year‐round populations in highly interconnected regions can re‐seed genotypes over large distances after local extinctions. Main conclusions Although the release of ballast water from container ships may contribute to the dispersal of non‐native species, our results highlight the importance of ocean currents driving secondary spread dynamics. Highly interconnected areas hosting invasive species are crucial for secondary spread dynamics on a continental scale. Invasion risk assessments should consider large‐scale connectivity patterns and the potential source regions of non‐native marine species.

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“…M. leidyi has been spreading through the Mediterranean Sea, possibly following currents, but other vectors must also be involved, especially in the case of coastal lagoons with very little connection with the patterns of circulation of main currents (Jasper et al, unpublished data). High abundance in some coastal lagoons, such as the Berre, Bages-Sigean, SalsesLeucate and Biguglia lagoons along the French coasts, have been observed for ~10 years [127,128].…”

Section: Mediterranean Species and Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

Boudouresque¹

2017

MOJES

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Biodiversity means the variety of life, encompassing levels of complexity from within species to across ecosystems. Biodiversity therefore includes several dimensions: evolutionary scale (genetic, species, higher taxonomic levels and phylogenetic diversity), functional scale, organizational scale (patch, ecosystem, landscape/seascape diversity), spatial scale (from sample to local, regional and global richness) and heterogeneity diversity. Biodiversity can therefore be measured in different and complementary ways, thus involving the use of at least 200 different metrics, which can suggest different and contrasting conclusions. It is worth emphasizing that species richness may be the least appropriate metric, despite its popular acceptance. There is a growing tendency for stakeholders, managers, government officials, environmentalists, scientists, politicians and the media to focus, as concerns threats to biodiversity, on species richness and climate change. However, focusing on climate warming can mask other stressors that, today, and perhaps for decades to come, may have more impact on ecosystems than global warming. In the Mediterranean Sea, the overall impact of Non-Indigenous Species (NISs) and overfishing on species diversity, ecosystem diversity and ecosystem functioning exceeds to a greater or lesser degree the direct impact of warming. Drastically altered functioning patterns, and even new ecosystems are spreading throughout the Mediterranean Sea. This trend is likely to become more pronounced over the next decades. Ecosystem goods and services are also being profoundly altered, generally towards a decline, as illustrated by the overgrazed barren grounds of the eastern basin, which no longer support fisheries, by the impact of the Caulerpa meadows on the scuba diving business and the economic value of the fisheries of the western basin, by the brackish lagoon ecosystems and by the blooms of the introduced comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Black Sea, before the arrival of its predator Beroe ovata. Here, we draw attention to the fact that, at this moment and probably also in the future, the huge flow of NISs and overfishing constitute worrying issues, although largely ignored by stakeholders and political authorities. Take care: Un train peut en cacher un autre (one train can hide another; i.e. one danger may hide other unsuspected dangers), that is to say the impact of warming may contribute to hiding other effects, of at least equal gravity, such as biological invasions and overfishing.

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Identifying the drivers of abundance and size of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in Northwestern Mediterranean lagoons

Cited by 20 publications

References 67 publications

Boom and Bust: Life History, Environmental Noise, and the (un)Predictability of Jellyfish Blooms

Boom and Bust: Life History, Environmental Noise, and the (un)Predictability of Jellyfish Blooms

Ocean current connectivity propelling the secondary spread of a marine invasive comb jelly across western Eurasia

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

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