Adrift in a changing ocean The relationship between environmental conditions and jellyfish ecology and the effect of temperature as a cue for the asexual reproduction of Cyanea sp., a Long Island Sound scyphozoan jellyfish.

Given predictions of a future characterized by changing seas, there is ongoing debate about how jellyfish populations will respond to environmental disturbances such as anthropogenic climate change. As jellyfish play an integral role in coastal ecosystems, with population blooms causing noticeable disruptions to the marine food web and human activities, characterizing their relationship to changing environmental conditions is essential. In this study, I describe recent research regarding trends in jellyfish populations across the globe and then narrow in on the ecology of the Long Island Sound scyphozoan Cyanea sp. I then describe an original laboratory experiment in which Cyanea sp. polyps were cultivated under periodically increased temperatures. In identifying temperature conditions which induce asexual reproduction through strobilation, this research contributes to our understanding of the seasonal timing of Cyanea sp.’s strobilation. Furthermore, understanding the extent to which temperature changes trigger strobilation and affect ephyrae production is critical to understanding how Cyanea sp. populations will fare in a changing climate. This experiment documented that while a significant difference in strobilation rates cannot be associated with higher temperatures, there is a significant relationship between increased temperatures and increased production of successful ephyrae. These results suggest that warming temperatures may facilitate population blooms of Cyanea sp., though the ecological implications of this are unclear. Thus, this research adds a piece to the complex puzzle of how jellyfish populations will respond to climate change.