Particle Capture, Bioenergetics, and Ecological Role of Filter-Feeding Marine Invertebrates

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Guest Editor
Marine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
Interests: filter-feeding in marine invertebrates; bioenergetics; biological filter-pumps; biomixing; population grazing impact; particle capture mechanisms; benthic–pelagic coupling; interaction between jellyfish and zooplankton
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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, Cramérgatan 3, 621 57 Visby, Sweden
Interests: gelatinous zooplankton (e.g., cnidarians, ctenophores, doliolids, pyrosomes, and salps) biology and ecology; suspended food lifestyle adaptations; benthic–pelagic coupling; human–filter feeder interactions
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Special Issue Information

This Special Issue focuses on several related topics: particle capture mechanisms and retention efficiency, bioenergetics and energy budgets, filter pumps and energy costs, grazing impact of mussels, ascidians, sponges, bryozoans, and other benthic filter-feeding invertebrates, predation impact of jellyfish and ctenophores, grazing impact of pelagic tunicates, and interactions between jellyfish and zooplankton.

Dear Colleagues,

Considering the dominant role of phytoplankton in primary production in the sea and oceans, it is understandable that filter feeding is widespread and filter feeders (or suspension feeders) are found in almost all marine and aquatic animal classes. Filter feeding animals are necessary links between suspended food particles (phytoplankton, free-living bacteria, and other members of the microbial loop) and higher trophic levels in marine food webs. In addition to many holo- and meroplanktonic organisms, such as copepods, pelagic tunicates, and invertebrate larvae that graze on phytoplankton and other food particles in the water column, many filter-feeding animals such as bivalves, polychaetes, ascidians, bryozoans, and sponges graze on phytoplankton in the near-bottom water. Particularly in shallow coastal waters and fjords, dense populations of filter feeders may exert a pronounced grazing impact, which may keep the water clear (but not clean) in eutrophicated areas. On the contrary, dense populations of filter-feeding jellyfish and ctenophores in such areas may exert a pronounced predation impact on grazing zooplankton, resulting in phytoplankton blooms and making the water green. In addition, blooms of open-ocean filter-feeding pelagic tunicates, such as pyrosomes and salps, can control the populations of primary and secondary producers.

We invite researchers to submit articles that advance our understanding of filter feeding in marine invertebrates.

Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrik Riisgård
Dr. Florian Lüskow
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • filter feeding in marine invertebrates (planktonic and benthic species)
  • bioenergetics (food uptake, assimilation, respiration, and energy budgets)
  • biological filter pumps (design, function, and energy cost)
  • particle capture (mechanisms and retention efficiency)
  • population grazing impact of filter feeders
  • predation impact of jellyfish

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 2472 KiB  
Article
First Record of a Cannonball Jellyfish Bloom (Stomolophus sp.) in Venezuelan Waters
by Ramón D. Morejón-Arrojo, Florian Lüskow, Alfredo Fernández-Alías, Humberto Ramírez and Aldo Cróquer
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(4), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13040689 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Jellyfish blooms are dynamic events driven by environmental and anthropogenic factors. This study reports the first documented bloom of the cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus sp.) in Venezuelan waters, observed between March and April 2024 along approximately 120 km of coastline. Reports from anglers [...] Read more.
Jellyfish blooms are dynamic events driven by environmental and anthropogenic factors. This study reports the first documented bloom of the cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus sp.) in Venezuelan waters, observed between March and April 2024 along approximately 120 km of coastline. Reports from anglers and divers confirmed high jellyfish abundances (~3 ind. m−3) across multiple sites. Environmental analyses suggest that fluctuations in sea surface temperature, increased chlorophyll a concentrations, and high precipitation in the preceding months may have triggered strobilation and subsequent bloom formation. However, the polyps have not yet been observed in the field, and advective movement from other locations cannot be ruled out. Given the commercial importance of Stomolophus spp. in neighboring regions, this record underscores the need for continued monitoring to assess potential range expansions and their ecological and socio-economic impacts. Additionally, the emergence of this bloom raises questions about the species’ distribution patterns, potential establishment in Venezuelan waters, and possible implications for local fisheries. Our findings contribute to the broader understanding of gelatinous zooplankton dynamics in the Caribbean Sea and provide baseline information for future ecological assessments and fisheries management strategies. Further studies, including genetic analyses, are needed to confirm species identity and investigate the drivers behind this unprecedented bloom. Full article
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