Beyond the average: Diverse individual migration patterns in a population of mesopelagic jellyfish
Type
ArticleKAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionMarine Science Program
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Date
2011-10-22Online Publication Date
2011-10-22Print Publication Date
2011-11Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/555798
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
We examined the diel behavior among the jellyfish Periphylla periphylla in Lurefjorden, Norway in a sampling campaign and by a > 3-month continuous acoustic study. Jellyfish distribution and behavior were recorded by an upward-facing, bottom-mounted echo sounder at 280-m depth. The population was typically divided into four groups, each with different behavior. Individuals of behavioral Mode 1 undertook synchronous diel vertical migrations (DVM) within the upper 100 m. Individuals of behavioral Mode 2, stayed at ~ 160-200-m depth during the day, and also exhibited synchronized DVM, ascending at dusk and descending at dawn. The smaller individuals of behavioral Mode 3 swam continuously up and down throughout both day and night, yet occurred below Mode 2 individuals in daytime (~ 200 m-bottom), while their vertical range encompassed the entire water column during night. Mode 4 behavior was displayed by large jellyfish located between ~ 130 m and the bottom. These animals shifted between remaining motionless and relocating in rapid steps during both day and night. These four main behavioral patterns persisted throughout the registration period, although the synchronously migrating Mode 2 behavior became weaker in spring. This acoustic study has unveiled more diverse migration behaviors than previously derived from net sampling and remote-operated vehicles methods and emphasizes the importance of studying individuals. DVM is complex because individuals in a plankton population may simultaneously engage in a range of various contrasting behaviors.Citation
Beyond the average: Diverse individual migration patterns in a population of mesopelagic jellyfish 2011, 56 (6):2189 Limnology and OceanographyPublisher
WileyJournal
Limnology and OceanographyAdditional Links
http://doi.wiley.com/10.4319/lo.2011.56.6.2189ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.4319/lo.2011.56.6.2189