Hated by most bathers; adored by marine biologists. Jellyfish are really strange and beautiful animals. Now a team of researchers with the participation of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has developed the first planetary database on jellyfish records with the aim of mapping their populations in the oceans .
Currently there is very little information on the exact number of jellyfish that populate our seas and oceans. In fact, this lack of studies means that more global studies on the behavior of jellyfish and their importance in the oceans cannot be carried out. Precisely this work published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography seeks to alleviate this deficiency.
Researchers have developed the Jellyfish Database Initiative (JeDI) to map jellyfish biomass in the upper 200 meters of the planet’s oceans, according to CSIC researcher Carlos Duarte, a biologist at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies. In addition, this study has also served to explore the environmental causes that make jellyfish inhabit some areas and are scarce in others.
With this tool, anyone can address questions about the temporal and spatial scope of jellyfish populations , whether at a local, regional or global scale, and their implications for ecosystems, according to the study, led by marine biologist Cathy Lucas, from the University of Southampton (UK).
Thus, thanks to the data collected by the JeDI, scientists have verified that jellyfish and other gelatinous zooplankton are present in all the world’s oceans, with the highest concentrations in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere.
For example, in the case of the northern Atlantic Ocean, records have shown that dissolved oxygen and sea surface temperature are primarily responsible for the distribution of jellyfish biomass.
This spatial analysis is a key first step in establishing a database of gelatinous organisms from which future trends can be examined and different hypotheses evaluated. According to the CSIC itself, one of the hypotheses is that if this biomass increases, especially in the northern hemisphere, it could alter the abundance of biodiversity of zooplankton and phytoplankton , which could have a domino effect on the functioning of the ecosystem, the biogeochemical cycle and fish biomass.
The Jellyfish Database Intiative is the first scientifically coordinated database of jellyfish records on a global scale, bringing together more than 476,000 pieces of information on jellyfish and other gelatinous organisms. To be a useful tool for researchers, JeDI has been designed as an open access database for researchers, the media and the general public, so that it can be used as a research tool.
The database is hosted by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, a multidisciplinary research center. It is associated with the University of California and its database can be accessed through this website.
