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Mnemiopsis leidyi; Reproduction; Cydippid larvae; Scyphomedusae predation; Chrysaora quinquecirrha; Carbon cycle; Climate; York River; Chesapeake Bay
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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Development, Biological Regulation, And Fate Of Ctenophore Blooms In The York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay, Robert H. Condon, Deborah K. Steinberg
Development, Biological Regulation, And Fate Of Ctenophore Blooms In The York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay, Robert H. Condon, Deborah K. Steinberg
VIMS Articles
Blooms of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi proliferate in estuaries and coastal regions worldwide. However, their role in food web structure and carbon flow between trophic levels is not fully understood. During 2003-2006, we conducted field surveys along a salinity gradient in the lower York River, a sub-estuary of the Chesapeake Bay, to determine factors controlling the timing and magnitude of M leidyi blooms, and to evaluate effects of gelatinous zooplankton on carbon cycling. Samples for density, biovolume, and carbon content of ctenophores, scyphomedusae, and mesozooplankton were collected using surface net tows and quantified in the laboratory. Historical published records …