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Ocean acidification and warming are challenging marine organisms and ecosystems around the world. The synergetic effects of these two climate change drivers on jellyfish remain still understudied.Here, we examine the independent and combined effects of these two environmental variables on polyp population dynamics of the scyphozoans <em>Rhizostoma pulmo</em>and <em>Rhizostoma luteum</em>. An experiment was conducted to examine asexual reproduction by podocysts formation and strobilation considering current and ca. 2100 winter (Trial 1, 32 days) and summer (Trial 2, 32 days) conditions under a future scenario of “high CO<sub>2>/sub>emissions”. Trial 1 considered a temperature of 18ºC and two pH levels (ambient: 8.0 and 7.7). In Trial 2, two temperatures of 24 and 30ºC were tested in combination with ambient and acidified pH conditions (8.0 and 7.7, respectively). Our results show that <em>R. pulmo</em>scyphistomae would thrive under the future worst scenario predicted for the Mediterranean Sea, their polyp populations will increase with warming temperatures and will undergo proper strobilation by producing healthy ephyrae. In contrast, the survival of <em>R. luteum</em> scyphistomae will be probably compromised under the more pessimistic future predictions as the capacity of this species to undergo strobilation will cease if temperatures reach 30ºC, thereby affecting medusae recruitment and population dynamics.
Alenka Malej, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia ()
Emma Huertas, ICMAN-CSIC ()
Impact of Ocean Warming and Ocean Acidification on Asexual Reproduction of two scyphozoans of the genus <em>Rhizostoma</em>: <em>R. pulmo </em> and <em>R. luteum</em>
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Scientific Sessions > SS056 Jellyfish in the Changing Ocean