Different Physiology in the Jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana and C. frondosa in Florida Bay

The jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana and C. frondosa co-occur within some habitats in the Florida Keys, but the frequency with which this occurs is low. It is hypothesized that the symbiosis with different dinoflagellates in the Symbiodiniaceae is the reason: the medusae of C. xamachana contain heat-resistant Symbiodinium microadriaticum (ITS-type A1), whereas C. frondosa has heat-sensitive Breviolum sp. (ITS-type B19). Cohabitation occurs at depths of about 3–4 m in Florida Bay, where the water is on average 0.36 °C cooler, or up to 1.1 °C cooler per day. C. frondosa tends not to be found in the warmer and shallower (<2 m) depths of Florida Bay. While the density of symbionts is about equal in the small jellyfish of the two species, large C. frondosa medusae have a greater density of symbionts and appear darker in color compared to large C. xamachana. However, the number of symbionts per amebocyte are about the same, which implies that the large C. frondosa has more amebocytes than the large C. xamachana. The photosynthetic rate is similar in small medusae, but a greater reduction in photosynthesis is observed in the larger medusae of C. xamachana compared to those of C. frondosa. Medusae of C. xamachana have greater pulse rates than medusae of C. frondosa, suggestive of a greater metabolic demand. The differences in life history traits of the two species were also investigated to understand the factors that contribute to observed differences in habitat selection. The larvae of C. xamachana require lower concentrations of inducer to settle/metamorphose, and they readily settle on mangrove leaves, submerged rock, and sand compared to the larvae of C. frondosa. The asexual buds of C. xamachana are of a uniform and similar shape as compared to the variably sized and shaped buds of C. frondosa. The larger polyps of C. frondosa can have more than one attachment site compared to the single holdfast of C. xamachana. This appears to be an example of niche diversification that is likely influenced by the symbiont, with the ecological generalist and heat-resistant S. microadriaticum thriving in C. xamachana in a wider range of habitats as compared to the heat-sensitive symbiont Breviolum sp., which is only found in C. frondosa in the cooler and deeper waters.

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Box, stalked, and upside-down? Draft genomes from diverse jellyfish (Cnidaria, Acraspeda) lineages: Alatina alata (Cubozoa), Calvadosia cruxmelitensis (Staurozoa), and Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa)

GigaScience ◽

10.1093/gigascience/giz069 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Aki Ohdera ◽

Cheryl L Ames ◽

Rebecca B Dikow ◽

Ehsan Kayal ◽

Marta Chiodin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Hox Genes ◽

Common Ancestor ◽

Last Common Ancestor ◽

Valuable Resource ◽

Genomic Features ◽

Cassiopea Xamachana ◽

Nuisance Species

Abstract Background Anthozoa, Endocnidozoa, and Medusozoa are the 3 major clades of Cnidaria. Medusozoa is further divided into 4 clades, Hydrozoa, Staurozoa, Cubozoa, and Scyphozoa—the latter 3 lineages make up the clade Acraspeda. Acraspeda encompasses extraordinary diversity in terms of life history, numerous nuisance species, taxa with complex eyes rivaling other animals, and some of the most venomous organisms on the planet. Genomes have recently become available within Scyphozoa and Cubozoa, but there are currently no published genomes within Staurozoa and Cubozoa. Findings Here we present 3 new draft genomes of Calvadosia cruxmelitensis (Staurozoa), Alatina alata (Cubozoa), and Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa) for which we provide a preliminary orthology analysis that includes an inventory of their respective venom-related genes. Additionally, we identify synteny between POU and Hox genes that had previously been reported in a hydrozoan, suggesting this linkage is highly conserved, possibly dating back to at least the last common ancestor of Medusozoa, yet likely independent of vertebrate POU-Hox linkages. Conclusions These draft genomes provide a valuable resource for studying the evolutionary history and biology of these extraordinary animals, and for identifying genomic features underlying venom, vision, and life history traits in Acraspeda.

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PORTER, J. W., AND K. G. PORTER. 2002. The Everglades, Florida Bay, and coral reefs of the Florida Keys: An ecosystem sourcebook. CRC Press. 1,000 p. US$200. ISBN 0-8493-2026-7

Limnology and Oceanography ◽

10.4319/lo.2002.47.6.1855 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 1855-1855

Author(s):

Michael Risk

Keyword(s):

Coral Reefs ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys

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Temperature-mediated variation in early life history traits and recruitment success of the coral reef fish Thalassoma bifasciatum in the Florida Keys

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps308001 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 308 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

S Sponaugle ◽

K Grorud-Colvert ◽

D Pinkard

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Reef Fish ◽

Coral Reef Fish ◽

Early Life ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Early Life History ◽

Thalassoma Bifasciatum ◽

Recruitment Success

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Periphyton light transmission relationships in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys, USA

Aquatic Botany ◽

10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.05.003 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 83 (1) ◽

pp. 14-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Thomas A. Frankovich ◽

Joseph C. Zieman

Keyword(s):

Light Transmission ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys

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Influence of coastal eddies and counter-currents on the influx of spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, postlarvae into Florida Bay

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf01110 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 52 (8) ◽

pp. 1217 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Cynthia Yeung ◽

David L. Jones ◽

Maria M. Criales ◽

Thomas L. Jackson ◽

William. J. Richards

Keyword(s):

Current Flow ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Mesoscale Eddy ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Larval Transport ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Counter Current Flow ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Counter Current

Postlarvae of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus migrate from offshore in the Florida Keys into their juvenile habitat in Florida Bay through interisland channels. The influx of postlarvae was monitored monthly over the new-moon period at Long Key and Whale Harbor channels (July 1997–June 1999). Although the channels were only 30 km apart, their influx patterns differed. At Long Key, influx peaked every 2–3 months, whereas at Whale Harbor the peaks were in winter and of higher magnitudes. The influx pattern at Long Key was highly correlated with the strength of coastal counter-current flow in the two-week period prior to sampling. Countercurrent flow was correlated with alongshore (upstream) wind stress, but the latter was not a significant predictor of postlarval influx. Coastal counter-current flow is hypothesized to indicate the presence of a cyclonic, mesoscale eddy offshore. Satellite imagery confirmed the presence of these eddies offshore of the Middle Florida Keys often when positive postlarval influx and counter-current anomalies were observed. These eddies can facilitate onshore larval transport, and their variable temporal and spatial properties can cause transport variability over a scale of several tens of kilometres along the Keys.

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Effects of ghost fishing lobster traps in the Florida Keys

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsu238 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 72 (suppl_1) ◽

pp. i185-i198 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Casey B. Butler ◽

Thomas R. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Spiny Lobster ◽

Florida Bay ◽

Florida Keys ◽

Median Absolute Deviation ◽

Panulirus Argus ◽

Combined Effects ◽

Absolute Deviation ◽

Dead Fish ◽

The Dead

AbstractGhost fishing is the capacity of lost traps to continue to catch and kill animals. In the spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery in Florida, the effects of ghost fishing are of particular concern, given the estimated 10s of 1000s of traps lost annually. We distributed 40 each of the three types of lobster traps (wire, wood–wire hybrid, and wood slat) at three locations in the Florida Keys to simulate ghost fishing. Divers monitored these traps biweekly for 1 year then monthly for two additional years, recording the time ghost traps remained intact and continued to fish, as well as the number of live and dead lobsters and other animals in each trap. Wood slat and hybrid traps remained intact and fished for 509 ± 97 (median ± median absolute deviation) and 480 ± 142 d, respectively. Wire traps fished significantly longer (779.5 ± 273.5 d, p < 0.001), and several fished until the end of the experiment (1071 d). Traps in Florida Bay fished longer (711.5 ± 51.5 d) than traps inshore (509 ± 94.5 d) and offshore (381 ± 171 days; p < 0.001) in the Atlantic Ocean. More lobsters were observed in hybrid traps (mean = 4.81 ± 0.03 s.e.) than in wood slat (3.85 ± 0.16) or wire traps (3.17 ± 0.03; F = 40.15, d.f. = 2, p < 0.001). Wire traps accounted for 83% of fish confined overall and 74% of the dead fish observed in traps. Ghost traps in Florida Bay and Atlantic inshore killed 6.8 ± 1.0 and 6.3 ± 0.88 lobsters per trap annually, while Atlantic offshore traps killed fewer (3.0 ± 0.69) lobsters, likely as a result of lower lobster abundance in traps. The combined effects of greater lobster mortality and greater abundance of lost traps in inshore areas account for the majority of the estimated 637 622 ± 74 367 (mean ± s.d.) lobsters that die in ghost traps annually.

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