Aspects of the Ecology of the Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia Aurita, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Carol L
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Northeast Gulf Science Volume 11 Article 7 Number 1 Number 1 7-1990 Aspects of the Ecology of the Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Carol L. Roden National Marine Fisheries Service Ren R. Lohoefener National Marine Fisheries Service Carolyn M. Rogers National Marine Fisheries Service Keith D. Mullin National Marine Fisheries Service B. Wayne Hoggard National Marine Fisheries Service DOI: 10.18785/negs.1101.07 Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/goms Recommended Citation Roden, C. L., R. R. Lohoefener, C. M. Rogers, K. D. Mullin and B. Hoggard. 1990. Aspects of the Ecology of the Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Northeast Gulf Science 11 (1). Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol11/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf of Mexico Science by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Roden et al.: Aspects of the Ecology of the Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 11, No. 1 July 1990 63 ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY OF THE survey days were accomplished in each MOON JELLYFISH, Aurelia aurita, area per season. IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO Transect directions were either north south or east-west, generally perpen In the spring and fall of 1987, aerial dicular to the mainland. Offshore tran surveys were used to study the distribu sects extended from the mainland or tion and abundance of surfaced and barrier islands 15 to 20 minutes of lati near-surface schools of red drum tude or longitude seaward (28 to 37 km). (Sciaenops ace/latus) and other marine Inshore transects were flown over the ( animals. One species commonly observed waters of bays and .sounds up to 10 NM in large aggregations was the moon jelly (19 km) inland. Each study day, a random fish, Aurelia aurita. When near the sur starting point and random direction of face and aggregated, the cream to pink work were chosen. Approximately 10 to globular animals were obvious. 12 transects, 4 minutes of latitude or Little is known about the abundance longitude apart, were flown per day. We and distribution of Aurelia in the Gulf of used a single-engine, overhead wing air Mexico. Various trawl studies have craft with retractable landing gear (Cessna reported sporadic moon jellyfish cap 172-RG type) as a study platform. Two tures (National Marine Fisheries Service trained and experienced observers, one Resource Surveys cruises, pers. obs.). on each si.de of the aircraft, surveyed The short lifespan of the adult medusae through open window.s. Surveys were con (Loosanoff 1962) makes abundance and ducted only when seas were no greater distribution studies difficult. Our aerial than 3 feet and whitecaps covered less surveys provided a unique opportunity to than 50% of the sea surface (Beaufort study the abundance and distribution of scale 3). The aircraft's airspeed was near-surface aggregations of moon approximately 167 kmlh. Daily survey jellyfish. duration was usually 4 to 4.5 hours, and usually flown between 1000 and 1500 h. STUDY METHODS A 55 degree angle of observation was defined by placing tape reference marks The coastal Gulf of Mexico, from the on window frames and wing struts. Be Rio Grande River, Tex. to Key West, Fla., cause of the fuselage, the angle between was divided into 7 study areas. Military 0 and 21 degrees could not be observed. airspace restrictions precluded surveys Thus, sightings were made in a 34 degree between Perdido Bay, Ala. and Cape San effective strip (between 21 degrees and Bias, Fla. Logistics precluded study of 55 degrees) on both sides of the airplane. the area between Lake Calcasieu and White Lake, La. Survey altitude alternated between 305 m (1000 ft), with a survey strip width of Spring surveys (April through July) 637 m, and 475 m (1500 ft), with a survey and fall surveys (September through strip width of 954 m. December) were conducted in each of the 7 study areas with 2 exceptions. The DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS Central Florida study area was studied only in the fall and the Louisiana study Data were recorded using a portable area was surveyed twice in the spring. A computer interfaced with a Loran-e navi 21 day period per study area was allotted gation device. The aircraft's position to each spring and fall survey. Weather (latitude and longitude) was automatic was the major limiting factor and 6 to 11 ally recorded every 30 seconds, along Published by The Aquila Digital Community, 1990 1 Gulf of Mexico Science, Vol. 11 [1990], No. 1, Art. 7 64 Short papers and notes with time, heading, and ground speed. strip were so numerous that counting Observers recorded, and updated as them was difficult. Aggregations ranged necessary, altitude and environmental in size from scattered small "spots" to conditions including weather, sea state, areas where the observer's entire field of water turbidity, sunlight penetration, view was surfaced moon jellyfish. Aggre glare, and water color. gations were generally tightly packed A ratio estimator was used to esti and shape varied from circular to an mate the density of moon jellyfish aggre elongated oval. gations per 100 square NM (Jolly 1969, Caughley 1977). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS R = yra., Aurelia aurita has a worldwide dis where Ris the estimated density, y is the tribution. The occurrence of swarms of mean number of moon jellyfish aggrega adult medusae varies seasonally among tions observed per day, and a is the mean geographical locations (Gunter 1950, are~ sampled per day. The standard error Loosanoff 1962, Franks eta/. 1972, Burke of R (Cochran 1977) was estimated by: 1975, 1976, Fotheringham 1980, Moiler 2 se(R) =[1/(n1f2a)] [(Iyf- 2Riyiai t RIaf) I (n -1)]1/2 1984, Veer 1985). In our survey, moon where n is the number of survey days (i) jellyfish aggregations were observed in per study area. Approximate 95% con each study area and were most abundant fidence intervals were estimated as R during the fall. Moon jellyfish aggrega ~Ius or minus twice the standard error of tions in the three study areas west of the R. Mississippi River were not common in either spring or fall, but abundance RESULTS greatly increased east of the Mississippi Estimated Aurelia aggregation den River in the fall (Fig.1) and the greatest sities varied greatly between spring and density was found in the North-Central fall (Table 1). In the spring, moon jellyfish Gulf study area. were observed offshore only in the south Fall sightings in the North-Central Texas study area (0.27 aggregations/ Gulf inshore waters, where temperatures 2 100 NM ), and inshore only in the North and salinities vary greatly among seasons, Central Gulf area (0.11 aggregations/ were common. Franks et a/. (1972) be 2 100 NM ). lieved moon jellyfish were limited to high Fall aggregations of near-surface salinity waters. However, Gunter (1950) moon jellyfish were much more abun found the jellyfish in waters with salini dant. Except in south Texas, Aurelia were ties as low as 16.0 ppt. We observed observed in all offshore study areas. The them both offshore, in oceanic salinities, only inshore sightings were in the North as well as inshore, in areas where salini Central Gulf study area. Fall offshore ties were greatly influenced by fresh densities ranged from 0.06 aggregations/ water runoff. In the winters of 1969-70 100 NM2 (Louisiana study area) to 5.57 and 1970-71, moon jellyfish were taken in aggregations/100 NM 2 (North-Central the inshore waters of the Mississippi Gulf study area). The North-Central Gulf Sound where salinities ranged from 29.2 density estimate was several times to 31.6 ppt (Burke 1975). Burke (1976) greater than that of any other study area. again found moon jellyfish in the winters We flew several transects, especially of 1971-72 and 1972-73 at stations on in the North-Central Gulf study area, both the north and south sides of the where moon jellyfish aggregations in the Mississippi barrier islands. He noted that https://aquila.usm.edu/goms/vol11/iss1/7 2 DOI: 10.18785/negs.1101.07 Roden et al.: Aspects of the Ecology of the Moon Jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, in Northeast Gulf Science Vol. 11, No. 1 July 1990 65 Table 1. Areas studied in 1987 and seasonal densities of offshore moon jellyfish aggregations. Density estimates (R) are aggregations per 100 square nautical miles and (seR) are the standard errors of the density estimates. Spr!ng Fall Study Area Month R (seR) Month R (seR) South Texas April 0.27 (0.15) September 0 North Texas May 0 September 0.13 (0.08) Louisiana April 0 October 0.06 (0.07) North-Central Gulf May 0 September 5.57 (1.29) North Florida June 0 November 1.14 (0.36) Central Florida not studied November 1.42 (0.40) South Florida July 0 December 0.27 (0.16) thousands of Aurelia were present in the soft mud to sandy-mud substrates and Mississippi Sound in December 1966, but the rarity of solid substrata, especially were "peculiarly absent from Mississippi inshore, in the North-Central Gulf study waters until the winter of 1969" (Burke area have been considered unsuitable for 1975). moon jellyfish larval development (Burke Shepherd (1969) believed moon 1976). Examination of dredge samples, jellyfish medusae were passively aggre oyster reefs, emplaced artificial reefs gated by wind and waves and spawning and fouling plates failed to produce occurred at that time.