We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Selective feeding protects moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita s.l.) from overloading with microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) can selectively feed to avoid overloading with microplastics, maintaining normal growth and respiration rates even when exposed to high microplastic concentrations alongside zooplankton prey.
Jellyfish blooms may be important bioindicators for marine ecosystem degradation, including the accumulation of microplastics in pelagic food webs. Here we show growth, respiration and filtration rates of the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita s.l.) when fed high concentrations (350 L) of zooplankton prey (Artemia salina nauplii) and polystyrene (PS) or reference particles (charcoal; size range 50-500 μm). Our controlled feeding experiments reveal that inedible particles are ingested less efficiently compared to prey (retention efficiency ~60 % for PS) and actively removed from the gastrovascular system of ephyrae and medusae. Increased metabolic demands for excretion of inedible material (up to 76.7 ± 3.1 % of ingested prey biomass) suggest that overloading with microplastics can decelerate growth (observed maxima 26.1 % d and 12.6 % d, respectively) and reproductive rates when food is limited. Possible consequences of this selective feeding strategy in response to proceeding microplastic pollution in the world's future oceans are discussed.
More Papers Like This
Ingestion of polyethylene microspheres occur only in presence of prey in the jellyfish Aurelia aurita
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that jellyfish only ingest polyethylene microspheres when prey is also present, suggesting that accidental microplastic ingestion by jellyfish depends on context rather than being constant. This finding has implications for understanding microplastic uptake pathways in marine food webs.
Influence of different diets on protein composition and microplastic retention capacity of the mucus of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how jellyfish fed different diets retain microplastics differently, finding that diet composition affects how much plastic jellyfish accumulate in their tissues — relevant to understanding microplastic transfer through marine food webs via jellyfish blooms.
Limited ingestion, rapid egestion and no detectable impacts of microbeads on the moon jellyfish, Aurelia aurita
AI summary Read the abstract
Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) ingested microbeads at low rates and egested them quickly, with no detectable effects on their metabolism or gut tissue. This suggests jellyfish may be relatively resilient to microplastic exposure, though they could still transport ingested particles through the water column.
Microplastics ingestion in the ephyra stage of Aurelia sp. triggers acute and behavioral responses
AI summary Read the abstract
Young jellyfish (Aurelia sp. in the ephyra stage) were shown to ingest microplastics and exhibit acute physiological and behavioral responses, including altered swimming patterns and feeding behavior. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that microplastic ingestion affects jellyfish at an early life stage, with potential implications for their population dynamics.
Ecotoxicological effects of micro and nanoplastics in gelatinous zooplankton
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed ephyra-stage Aurelia sp. jellyfish to polyethylene microplastics (1-4 µm) and polystyrene nanoplastics (100 nm) at concentrations of 0.01-10 mg/L, using 3D holotomographic microscopy to confirm particle ingestion in the gelatinous body and mouth. Only microplastic ingestion affected survival, while both microplastics and nanoplastics impaired pulsation frequency, though full recovery occurred within 24-72 hours after transfer to clean seawater.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.