Interactions between native and invasive gelatinous zooplankton within the Baltic Sea food web (INIGEL)

拟议的项目旨在研究对最近入侵北海和波罗的海的栉水母Mnemiopsis leidyi的生物控制。该项目的核心实验应通过野外围隔生态系统进行。重点放在实验研究的相互作用与居民scyphozoan水母奥雷利亚aurita和干扰链形成硅藻的影响。目前M.莱迪的特点是初夏的丰度水平较低，夏末则急剧爆发。因此，M. leidyi水华与仔鱼不共生，对仔鱼的捕食作用是leidyi水华最严重的危险因素之一。莱迪入侵。主要假设是成链硅藻的干扰和A. aurita（对幼鱼的竞争和捕食）阻止了M. leidyi在初夏，而A.夏末的aurita有利于M. leidyi爆发提供DOC（溶解有机碳）的微生物食物链支持M。莱迪生长

The proposed projects aims to study biotic controls of the ctenophore jellyfish Mnemiopsis leidyi which recently invaded North and Baltic Sea. The core experiments of the project should be performed by means of field mesocosms. The emphasis is put on experimental studies of the interactions with the resident scyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia aurita and on the effects of interfering chain-forming diatoms. The current seasonal growth pattern of M. leidyi is characterized by low abundance levels in early summer and sharp outbreaks in late summer. Thus, M. leidyi blooms do not co-occur with fish larvae, predation on fish-larvae being one of the most serious risk factor associated with M. leidyi invasions. The main hypotheses are that interference by chain forming diatoms and negative effects of A. aurita (competition and predation on juveniles) prevent outbreaks of M. leidyi during early summer, while the decay of A. aurita in late summer facilitates M. leidyi outbreaks by providing DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) for a microbial food chain supporting M. leidyi growth.