Offshore marine constructions as propagators of moon jellyfish dispersal
Authored by Martin Vodopivec, Alvaro J Peliz, Alenka Malej
Date Published: 2017
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa75d9
Sponsors:
European Union
Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)
Platforms:
No platforms listed
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
We have studied the influence of offshore marine constructions on the
moon jellyfish population in the Adriatic sea, where the newly set up
substrates enable the formation of a new population based in the
formerly unpopulated open waters. Our five-year long computer simulation
uses a high resolution coupled bio-physical individual-based model to
track the dispersal of the offspring from subpopulations originating
from offshore and shore-based sources. According to our study, the
platforms enhance connectivity between subpopulations of jellyfish
polyps, help sustain existing shore-based subpopulations, contribute to
jellyfish blooms in some areas, and play an important role in
establishing connection with the rest of the Mediterranean, in addition
to representing substantial amounts of available substrate. This is an
aspect that is usually overlooked when evaluating the ecological impact
of existing and future wind farms, oil and gas platforms, etc. Our
approach could serve as a role model in future studies of ecological
impacts of planned offshore constructions.
Tags
connectivity
Dynamics
Model
System
Adriatic sea
Scyphozoa
Jellyfish
Offshore platform
Ocean sprawl
Blooms