(Press-News.org) Contact information: Talia Ogliore
togliore@hawaii.edu
808-956-4531
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Long-term study links box jellyfish abundance, environmental variability at Waikiki Beach
UH Manoa researchers analyze climate and oceanographic connections
You can almost set your watch to it.
A familiar sight to local beachgoers, the box jellyfish Alatina moseri is known for showing up in big numbers on Waikīkī Beach 8 to 12 days after each full moon.
Continuing a pioneering jellyfish beach count effort initiated in the 1980s by Honolulu lifeguard Landy Blair, researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa have published an analysis of 14 years of monthly jellyfish collection data.
173 full moons and 66,000 jellyfish since they began, the resulting paper titled "Long-term fluctuations in circalunar beach aggregations of the box jellyfish Alatina moseri in Hawaii, with links to environmental variability," is scheduled for release in the October 23, 2013, issue of PLOS ONE.
"Although there have been long-term studies of jellyfish abundance and climate in recent years, none have looked at box jellyfish species," said Luciano Chiaverano, Research Scholar in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) at UH Mānoa and lead author of the paper. "This is quite surprising, as box jellyfish are among the most venomous animals in the world. Often their habitat overlaps with human recreation, resulting in painful, sometimes even lethal, stings and causing beach closures at various locations around the world."
"Our box jellyfish collection data is the longest continual time-series census of a cubozoan species in the world, and provides a rich data set to analyze and assess physical and biological oceanographic correlations" said Angel Yanagihara, Assistant Research Professor and senior author of the new report.
Overall the researchers' analysis confirms Blair's early observations that box jellyfish arrive in Waikīkī with consistent, predictable timing based on the moon cycle: year after year, month after month, box jellyfish come to shore 8 to 12 days after each full moon presumably to reproduce. However, aggregation sizes varied substantially with no predictable seasonality. In a 400-meter section of the beach, an average of 396 jellyfish arrived each lunar month, with actual numbers ranging from 5 to 2,365 individuals per arrival event.
The total number of box jellyfish arriving to Waikiki displayed no net increase or decrease during the past 14 years, but instead followed an oscillating pattern with periods of increase and decrease, each one lasting approximately four years. Such patterns, the UH scientists propose, are likely influenced by climate fluctuations that play a role in large scale primary production in the ocean, regulating food availability, and ultimately affecting the numbers of local jellyfish.
To try to explain the 14-year trend of box jellyfish arrivals, Chiaverano, PBRC Associate Research Professor Brenden Holland, and Waikīkī Aquarium Marine Biologist Jerry Crow analyzed three major climatic indexes, 13 oceanographic variables (available from Station ALOHA by the UH Hawai'i Ocean Time-series (HOT) program), and seven local weather parameters. Although researchers found no significant relationship between beach counts and any of the weather parameters, jellyfish beach counts exhibited a strong, positive relationship with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation index (a decadal-scale climatic measurement specific to the sub-tropical Pacific), primary production, and abundance of small zooplankton.
The authors concluded that the number of box jellyfish arriving at Waikīkī is likely controlled by bottom-up processes: the NPGO is an index of water mass movement, wherein the higher the value, the higher the advection or transport of nutrient-richer waters from the northern Pacific into the oceanic waters around the Hawaiian Islands. This boost may drive regional primary production, and in turn increase zooplankton biomass (food for box jellyfish).
"Jellyfish are known to have increased growth rates and reach larger adult sizes in response to increased food availability, and because body size positively correlates with fecundity in jellyfish, more eggs and more larvae are produced when food is readily available" said Chiaverano.
Predicting changes in jellyfish aggregations over time is challenging due to the difficulties associated with sampling, the scarcity of historical records, and the unusual characteristics of the jellyfish life cycle. Around the world, there is increasing evidence that jellyfish populations are affected by large-scale climate variations and regional environmental conditions associated with climate fluctuations.
INFORMATION:
Yanagihara was awarded grant support from the Hawai'i Community Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.
Citation: PLOS ONE. http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077039
Waikiki Aquarium box jellyfish calendar: http://www.waquarium.org/boxjelly-calendar.html
Long-term study links box jellyfish abundance, environmental variability at Waikiki Beach
UH Manoa researchers analyze climate and oceanographic connections
2013-10-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Food additive may prevent spread of deadly new avian flu
2013-10-24
Food additive may prevent spread of deadly new avian flu
A common food additive can block a deadly new strain of avian influenza virus from infecting healthy cells, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine in the online ...
UCLA chemists use MRI to peek at temperatures of gases inside catalytic reactors
2013-10-24
UCLA chemists use MRI to peek at temperatures of gases inside catalytic reactors
UCLA chemists for the first time have employed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — a technique normally reserved for medical clinicians peering inside the human ...
Researchers show how plants tell the time
2013-10-24
Researchers show how plants tell the time
Plants use sugars to tell the time of day, according to research published in Nature today
Plants use sugars to tell the time of day, according to research published in Nature today.
Plants, ...
New biological links between sleep deprivation and the immune system discovered
2013-10-24
New biological links between sleep deprivation and the immune system discovered
Population-level studies have indicated that insufficient sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These diseases are known to be linked to ...
UT, Texas A&M astronomers discover universe's most distant galaxy
2013-10-24
UT, Texas A&M astronomers discover universe's most distant galaxy
COLLEGE STATION, Oct. 23, 2013 — Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin may be former football rivals, but the Lone Star State's two research giants have teamed up to detect the ...
NASA sees Tropical Storm Raymond finally moving away from Mexico
2013-10-24
NASA sees Tropical Storm Raymond finally moving away from Mexico
Satellite data revealed that Raymond, formerly a hurricane, now a tropical storm is finally moving away from the coast of south-central Mexico.
NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Raymond ...
NASA eyes Super-typhoon Lekima in the northwestern Pacific
2013-10-24
NASA eyes Super-typhoon Lekima in the northwestern Pacific
NASA's Terra satellite flew over Lekima after it became a super-typhoon in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and captured visible and infrared data on the storm.
Early on Oct. 23 at 00:25 UTC/Oct. 22 at ...
Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck
2013-10-24
Futuristic copper foam batteries get more bang for the buck
People use their GPS apps, cameras, and mobile internet to navigate strange cities in search of good coffee, record "selfie" commentary while they wait in line, and upload their videos directly to ...
NASA's TRMM satellite shows wind shear's effect on Tropical Storm Lorenzo
2013-10-24
NASA's TRMM satellite shows wind shear's effect on Tropical Storm Lorenzo
NASA's TRMM satellite data provided forecasters at the National Hurricane Center with a good look at how wind shear is affecting Tropical Storm Lorenzo in the Atlantic Ocean.
Forecasters at ...
Deciding when 'not' to maximize profits
2013-10-24
Deciding when 'not' to maximize profits
How and why some corporations sabotage their own subsidiaries
CHESTNUT HILL, MA (October 23, 2013) - Corporate America may have a reputation for maximizing profits whenever possible, but a new study shows that's not always the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people
Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance
Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors
Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep
Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots
NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma
Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits
Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products
Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV
Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)
Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids
Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue
UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’
New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening
Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition
CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves
Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam
Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand
Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch
New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed
New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations
Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency
How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads
Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids
Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation
Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria
Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options
Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity
Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers
[Press-News.org] Long-term study links box jellyfish abundance, environmental variability at Waikiki BeachUH Manoa researchers analyze climate and oceanographic connections