Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC07 Spatial and Temporal Connections

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Martin, J, C, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, USA, dryodora@yahoo.com

Graham, W, M, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, USA, mgraham@disl.org

SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF PHYLLORHIZA PUNCTATA (CNIDARIA: RHIZOSTOMEAE) WITHIN LARGE AGGREGATIONS IN LAKE BORGNE, LOUISIANA

Large gelatinous zooplankton are important predators in coastal ecosystems, and there is concern that they are becoming more prevalent worldwide. Since large aggregations of jellies can potentially have profound impacts on local prey populations and ecosystem function, an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for aggregation is crucial. We seek to determine the critical scales at which medusae aggregate, as well as factors influencing patch formation. Our study examined the invasive scyphomedusa Phyllorhiza punctata in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We conducted one-dimensional transects through aggregations of P. punctata within a shallow, well-mixed water column. Several analyses (variance:mean and spectral analysis) were compared to determine which scales, if any, were critical for patch formation. We examined the scale of variability of concurrent hydrographic (salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen) and biological (chlorophyll concentrations) parameters to determine coherence between these and the scales of aggregation of Phyllorhiza punctata in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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