Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries
Abstract Freshwater jellyfish (= limnic medusa‐budding hydrozoans, FWJ) are a small group of cnidarians found on all continents except Antarctica in temperate to tropical latitudes. Members of this group belong primarily to three genera: Astrohydra, Craspedacusta, and Limnocnida. While Astrohydra an...
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Wiley
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70350 |
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| author | Florian Lüskow Nicholas Bezio Luciano Caputo Xupeng Chi Henri J. Dumont Krishan D. Karunarathne Pablo J. López‐González Maciej K. Mańko Guillaume Marchessaux Kentaro S. Suzuki Evgeny A. Pakhomov |
| author_facet | Florian Lüskow Nicholas Bezio Luciano Caputo Xupeng Chi Henri J. Dumont Krishan D. Karunarathne Pablo J. López‐González Maciej K. Mańko Guillaume Marchessaux Kentaro S. Suzuki Evgeny A. Pakhomov |
| author_sort | Florian Lüskow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Freshwater jellyfish (= limnic medusa‐budding hydrozoans, FWJ) are a small group of cnidarians found on all continents except Antarctica in temperate to tropical latitudes. Members of this group belong primarily to three genera: Astrohydra, Craspedacusta, and Limnocnida. While Astrohydra and Limnocnida are typically restricted to the islands of Japan, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, one species or potential species complex, Craspedacusta sowerbii, became globally invasive. Despite research going back about one‐and‐a‐half centuries, little is known about their phylogeny and ecology compared to marine jellyfish. Recent species distribution modelling, however, showed that by 2050, C. sowerbii will potentially extend their distribution ranges due to global warming to high‐latitude ecosystems and be present (medusa stage) for an extended time in the seasonal limnic production cycle. An increase in their relative ecological importance with temporal and spatial spreading is hypothesised. Only recently, it has been shown that the trophic roles of polyps and medusae and their prey overlap with other ecosystem members. In addition, medusa behaviour may cause trophic cascades and alter vertical nutrient distributions. However, polyps and other benthic life cycle stages are understudied. In globally, changing freshwater ecosystems that may become more accommodating for FWJ, an improved understanding of their population biology and ecosystem ecology is urgently needed. In this integrative review, we, therefore, explore reasons for the hampered historical research progress, contrast developments with those of marine cnidarians, compile and publish alongside an extensive and unprecedented literature database, and formulate avenues for future directions in FWJ research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eca3186f7d254c0a81756c44a7c78916 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-eca3186f7d254c0a81756c44a7c789162024-12-20T09:05:58ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-10-011410n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70350Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuriesFlorian Lüskow0Nicholas Bezio1Luciano Caputo2Xupeng Chi3Henri J. Dumont4Krishan D. Karunarathne5Pablo J. López‐González6Maciej K. Mańko7Guillaume Marchessaux8Kentaro S. Suzuki9Evgeny A. Pakhomov10Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaDepartment of Biology University of Maryland Baltimore Maryland USAFacultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnolóogicas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia ChileCAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Qingdao ChinaDepartment of Biology Gent University Ghent BelgiumDepartment of Aquaculture and Fisheries Wayamba University of Sri Lanka Makandura Sri LankaDepartamento de Zoología, Biodiversidad y Ecología Acuática Universidad de Sevilla Sevilla SpainLaboratory of Plankton Biology, Department of Marine Biology and Biotechnology University of Gdańsk Gdynia PolandLaboratory of Ecology, Department of Earth and Marine Science University of Palermo Palermo ItalySustainable System Research Laboratory Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry Abiko JapanDepartment of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia CanadaAbstract Freshwater jellyfish (= limnic medusa‐budding hydrozoans, FWJ) are a small group of cnidarians found on all continents except Antarctica in temperate to tropical latitudes. Members of this group belong primarily to three genera: Astrohydra, Craspedacusta, and Limnocnida. While Astrohydra and Limnocnida are typically restricted to the islands of Japan, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, one species or potential species complex, Craspedacusta sowerbii, became globally invasive. Despite research going back about one‐and‐a‐half centuries, little is known about their phylogeny and ecology compared to marine jellyfish. Recent species distribution modelling, however, showed that by 2050, C. sowerbii will potentially extend their distribution ranges due to global warming to high‐latitude ecosystems and be present (medusa stage) for an extended time in the seasonal limnic production cycle. An increase in their relative ecological importance with temporal and spatial spreading is hypothesised. Only recently, it has been shown that the trophic roles of polyps and medusae and their prey overlap with other ecosystem members. In addition, medusa behaviour may cause trophic cascades and alter vertical nutrient distributions. However, polyps and other benthic life cycle stages are understudied. In globally, changing freshwater ecosystems that may become more accommodating for FWJ, an improved understanding of their population biology and ecosystem ecology is urgently needed. In this integrative review, we, therefore, explore reasons for the hampered historical research progress, contrast developments with those of marine cnidarians, compile and publish alongside an extensive and unprecedented literature database, and formulate avenues for future directions in FWJ research.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70350CnidariaCraspedacustaHydrozoainterdisciplinary researchlimnology |
| spellingShingle | Florian Lüskow Nicholas Bezio Luciano Caputo Xupeng Chi Henri J. Dumont Krishan D. Karunarathne Pablo J. López‐González Maciej K. Mańko Guillaume Marchessaux Kentaro S. Suzuki Evgeny A. Pakhomov Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries Ecology and Evolution Cnidaria Craspedacusta Hydrozoa interdisciplinary research limnology |
| title | Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries |
| title_full | Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries |
| title_fullStr | Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries |
| title_short | Hidden gems: Scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one‐and‐a‐half centuries |
| title_sort | hidden gems scattered knowledge hampered freshwater jellyfish research over the past one and a half centuries |
| topic | Cnidaria Craspedacusta Hydrozoa interdisciplinary research limnology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70350 |
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