hays-jellyfishaggregation-2006.pdf (399.18 kB)
Jellyfish aggregations and leatherback turtle foraging patterns in a temperate coastal environment
journal contribution
posted on 2006-08-01, 00:00 authored by J Houghton, T Doyle, M Wilson, J Davenport, Graeme HaysGraeme HaysLeatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are obligate predators of gelatinous zooplankton. However, the spatial relationship between predator and prey remains poorly understood beyond sporadic and localized reports. To examine how jellyfish (Phylum Cnidaria: Orders Semaeostomeae and Rhizostomeae) might drive the broad-scale distribution of this wide ranging species, we employed aerial surveys to map jellyfish throughout a temperate coastal shelf area bordering the northeast Atlantic. Previously unknown, consistent aggregations of Rhizostoma octopus extending over tens of square kilometers were identified in distinct coastal “hotspots” during consecutive years (2003–2005). Examination of retrospective sightings data (>50 yr) suggested that 22.5% of leatherback distribution could be explained by these hotspots, with the inference that these coastal features may be sufficiently consistent in space and time to drive long-term foraging associations.
History
Journal
EcologyVolume
87Issue
8Pagination
1967 - 1972Publisher
Ecological Society of AmericaLocation
Ithaca, N.Y.ISSN
0012-9658eISSN
1939-9170Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2006, Ecological Society of AmericaUsage metrics
Keywords
aerial surveyDermochelys coriaceaforaging ecologygelatinous zooplanktonjellyfishleatherback turtlesplanktivorepredator–prey relationshipRhizostoma octopusScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEcologyEnvironmental Sciences & Ecologypredator-prey relationshipBEHAVIOREvolutionary BiologyEcology
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