Special Issue "Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics of Medusozoa (Aka Jellyfish)"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cheryl Lewis Ames
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Interests: behavior, ecology, evolution and systematics of jellyfish; box jellyfish
Dr. Aki Ohdera
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Interests: cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, gene regulatory network evolution; development; medusozoan genetics; metamorphosis; bacteria-host interaction; regeneration
Dr. Sho Toshino
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Kuroshio Biological Research Foundation, Japan
Interests: jellyfish (medusozoan) systematics; box jellyfish (medusozoan) venom; vision and reproduction; life cycle; development; nematocyst; taxonomy of Medusozoa

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over two thousand species have been described in the Cnidaria subphylum Medusozoa (aka jellyfish). Remarkably, despite lacking a brain, some jellyfish have evolved the ability to kill a human in minutes, leading to their reputation as a nuisance to beachgoers. This perception is ironic because even in all their splendor, intrigue, and diversity of body form, most medusozoans never exhibit a free-swimming medusae stage during their life history. Having diverged over 600 mya and adapted to a plethora of aquatic habitats worldwide, pest or not, jellyfish are here to stay. In their defense, jellyfish are a crucial component of our oceans (and some freshwater environments), and are essential to the commercial fisheries and biomedical industries. Therefore, we must find a way to coexist with these ancient marine organisms.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, commentaries, data papers, and the like to address the topic of the ecology, evolution, and systematics of Medusozoans (Jellyfish).

Topics may include broadly: 1. Jellyfish Ecology: Aggregations linked to reproduction, unconventional monitoring methods, Arctic and other extreme habitats, symbiosis, blooms, jellyfish zooplankton, proliferations, microbiome, environmental DNA (eDNA); 2. Jellyfish Evolution: Novelties, gene function, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, regeneration, polychromatism, biomechanics, or 3. Jellyfish Systematics: Taxonomic revisions, new species descriptions, phylogenetics, distribution, life cycle. 4. Other: Please contact us to inquire about other topics.

We look forward to your submission.

Dr. Cheryl Lewis Ames
Dr. Aki Ohdera
Dr. Sho Toshino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coastal management
  • life cycle
  • genomics
  • evolution
  • phylogenetics
  • new species
  • regeneration invasions
  • blooms
  • extreme habitats
  • proteomics
  • gene function
  • eDNA (environmental DNA)

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Life Cycle of Edible Jellyfish Acromitus hardenbergi Stiasny, 1934 (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) Inhabiting a Brackish-Water Environment
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2138; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072138 - 20 Jul 2021
Viewed by 1072
Abstract
The edible jellyfish Acromitus hardenbergi Stiasny, 1934 is harvested throughout the year at the mouth of the Perak River, Malaysia. Although this species is an important fishery resource in the local area, limited biological studies have been carried out on it. The aim [...] Read more.
The edible jellyfish Acromitus hardenbergi Stiasny, 1934 is harvested throughout the year at the mouth of the Perak River, Malaysia. Although this species is an important fishery resource in the local area, limited biological studies have been carried out on it. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the life cycle of this unique brackish-water jellyfish in order to conserve the species and develop sustainable jellyfish fisheries. Mature medusae were collected at the mouth of the Perak River. Embryonic and larval development after fertilization was completed within 24 h until the planula stage and within 48 h until the polyp stage. Primary polyps had a long stalk with a small stolon at the base of the calyx. Fully developed polyps were bowl-or goblet-shaped but became an elongated stalk under starved conditions. Asexual reproduction was accomplished only by means of budding, and no podocysts were produced. Strobilation was mono-disc type. These characteristics may be adaptations to the dynamic environmental conditions in the estuary of the Perak River, where salinity fluctuates widely due to strong inflows of highly turbid freshwater coupled with tidal changes. This study suggests that polyps of A. hardenbergi expand their population not by podocysts, but by budding as quickly as possible and forming one large ephyra by mono-disc strobilation without the residuum, because the polyp cannot remain for a long time at its settlement place in the sediment-rich environment with drastic salinity change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics of Medusozoa (Aka Jellyfish))
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Diversity and Temporal Variation of Jellyfishes in Southeast Asia
Authors: Iffah Iesa; Huang Danwei
Affiliation: National University of Singaporedisabled, Singapore City, Singapore
Abstract: The biodiversity of species-rich pelagic waters of Southeast Asia is poorly understood. In particular, the diversity of many medusozoan taxa is likely to be underestimated because most jellyfish observations in the tropics of the region are assumed to be species mostly found and described from subtropical and temperate regions. Consequently, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of the temporal variation of jellyfish diversity and abundance in Southeast Asia. In this review, we will consolidate published and other known observations of Scyphozoa and Cubozoa in the region to assess the species richness of these taxa and to draw inferences about their temporal patterns, with the aim of informing resource managers on jellyfish biodiversity, their distribution and seasonality in the region, and potential human-jellyfish interactions.

Title: Stinging water sensation caused by Rhizostomeae jellyfish can be painful
Authors: Kaden Muffett; et al.
Affiliation: Marine Biology Department, Texas A&M University Galveston, Galveston, Texas, USA
Abstract: Conversation around avoidance and mitigation of jellyfish stings has traditionally focussed on swimmers and divers being mindful of their behavior relative to tentacle-bearing medusae (pelagic jellyfish). This framework must be restructured with the inclusion of novel autonomous stinging structures, such as cassiosomes from Cassiopea xamachana (a jellyfish genus of the taxonomic order Rhizostomeae). Cassiosomes appear to be present in species of the widely distributed tropical to subtropical genus Cassiopea, and likely extend to other rhizostome jellyfish species, some of whom are reported to bear similar structures. Marine waters containing released cassiosomes can sting human skin and cause varying degrees of pain and irritation. Swimmers and waders may put themselves at risk simply by coming into contact with agitated water in the vicinity of C. xamachana medusae, even without touching any part of the jellyfish (medusa, tentacles or otherwise). Herein, we highlight information from 46 researchers’ and professional aquarists’ cases reporting this phenomenon, which we refer to as “stinging water” sensation or “contactless stings”, in order to increase the responsiveness of a safety hazard the community may be unaware of in their own labs, aquariums, and sampling locations.

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