Welcome to Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology! Today is Share:

Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology

Previous Articles    

Causes of jellyfish blooms and their influence on marine environment.

QU Chang-feng1,2, SONG Jin-ming1, LI Ning1   

  1. (1Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China; 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)
  • Online:2014-12-18 Published:2014-12-18

Abstract: Jellyfish blooms have damaged the normal composition and function of marine ecosystem and ecological environments, which have been one of the new marine ecological disasters. In this study, we summarized the possible inducements of jellyfish blooms, and the influences of jellyfish blooms on biogenic elements, dissolved oxygen, seawater acidity and biological community were discussed emphatically. The results showed that jellyfish blooms had a close contact with its physiological structure and life history, which had favorable characteristics including simple body structure, rapid growth, thriving reproduction and short generation interval to tolerate harsh environment better. Jellyfish abundance increased rapidly when it encountered suitable conditions. The temperature variations of seawater might be the major inducing factor which could result in jellyfish blooms. Jellyfish blooms may benefit from warmer temperature that could increase the food availability of jellyfish and promote jellyfish reproduction, especially for warm temperate jellyfish species. Eutrophication, climate change, overfishing, alien invasions and habitat modification were all possible important contributory factors of jellyfish blooms. Jellyfish could significantly influence the form distribution and biogeochemical cycling of biogenic elements. Jellyfish excreted NH4+ and PO43- at a rate of 59.1-91.5 μmol N·kg-1·h-1 and 1.1-1.8 μmol P·kg-1·h-1, which could meet about 8%-10% and 21.6% of the phytoplankton primary production requirement of N and P, respectively. Live jellyfish released dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at a rate of 1.0 μmol C·g-1·d-1. As jellyfish decomposing, the effluxes of total N and total P were 4000 μmol N·kg-1·d-1 and 120 μmol P·kg-1·d-1, respectively, while the efflux of DOC reached 30 μmol C·g-1·d-1. Jellyfish decomposition could cause seawater acidification and lowered level of dissolved oxygen and finally made the ambient water become acidic and hypoxic. The pH decreased by 1.3, while the mean dissolved oxygen demand reached 32.8 μmol·kg-1·h-1. Jellyfish blooms also influenced the marine organism community, which might reduce the biomass of some fish and zooplankton, increase the amount of bacterioplankton, indirectly increase the quantity of phytoplankton and lead to abnormal primary production.