Jellyfish on the menu: mtDNA assay reveals scyphozoan predation in the Irish Sea.

ABSTRACT: Localized outbreaks of jellyfish, known as blooms, cause a variety of adverse ecological and economic effects. However, fundamental aspects of their ecology remain unknown. Notably, there is scant information on the role jellyfish occupy in food webs: in many ecosystems, few or no predators are known. To identify jellyfish consumers in the Irish Sea, we conducted a molecular gut content assessment of 50 potential predators using cnidarian-specific mtDNA primers and sequencing. We show that jellyfish predation may be more common than previously acknowledged: uncovering many previously unknown jellyfish predators. A substantial proportion of herring and whiting were found to have consumed jellyfish. Rare ingestion was also detected in a variety of other species. Given the phenology of jellyf

SUBMITTER: Lamb PD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5717700 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature