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JPR Advance Access published online on January 15, 2007
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbm003
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© 2007 The Author(s)
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

research-article

Causes for mass occurrences of the jellyfish Periphylla periphylla; an hypothesis that involves optically conditioned retention

Tom A. Sørnes1, Dag L. Aksnes1,*, Ulf Båmstedt1,2 and Marsh J. Youngbluth3

1 Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. BOX 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway 2 UMEÅ Marine Science Centre, Norrbyn, SE-910 20 Hörnefors, Sweden 3 Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA

* Corresponding Author: dag.aksnes{at}bio.uib.no

Received on May 30, 2006; revised on October 9, 2006; accepted on November 21, 2006


  Abstract

The mesopelagic coronate medusa Periphylla periphylla has been very abundant (20-320 individuals m–2), with as many as 2.5 individuals m–3, for more than a decade in certain Norwegian fjords. These abundances are 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than reported from open ocean environments. Comparisons of the size, density and behavior of this jellyfish in three fjords (Lurefjorden, Sognefjorden and Halsafjorden) support the hypothesis that retention of P. periphylla is related to basin topography, light attenuation and photosensitivity. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the abundances of P. periphylla in Lurefjorden and Halsafjorden, but not in Sognefjorden, have been stimulated by increased light absorbance of water masses formed in the North Sea.

Key Words: Periphylla periphylla • jellyfish • mass occurrence • light • vertical distribution

Communicating editor: KJ Flynn


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