Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS37 Zooplankton

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 12:15:00 PM

Location: Aztec

Matanoski, J, C, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, USA, matanosk@hpl.umces.edu

Hood, R, R, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, USA, raleigh@hpl.umces.edu

Purcell, J, E, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, USA, purcell@hpl.umces.edu

THE EFFECT OF PREY ON SWIMMING PATTERNS OF THE SCYPHOMEDUSA CHRYSAORA QUINQUECIRRHA AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FEEDING EFFICIENCY

The scyphomedusa Chrysaora quinquecirrha is an important predator in many coastal and estuarine systems of the eastern USA. Despite this, little is known regarding the swimming or feeding behavior of this species. We collected medusae from two tributaries of Chesapeake Bay, USA and videotaped them in 3 dimensions in a 10,000 l tank. Patterns in the swimming of the medusae were dependent on the absence or presence of prey. When prey were present, medusae decreased their pulsation rate by 17%, and increased their velocity and acceleration by 87% and 78%, respectively, as compared to when prey were absent. In addition, there were cyclical variations in each of these characteristics that were prey dependent. When prey were absent, medusae altered their pulsation rate and velocity in a cyclical fashion every 50-100 s. By contrast, when prey were available, pulsation rate and velocity varied every 18 s, and acceleration varied cyclically every 37 s. We attribute these prey-dependent changes in swimming to feeding behavior that minimizes energy expended while searching for and capturing prey in habitats where that prey is heterogeneously distributed.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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