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The opportunistic red tide forming heteroptrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans and the jellyfish (medusae and ctenophore) blooms are prominent features of the coastal and marginal sea ecosystems. Their distinguishing feature is too often act as their trophic dead ends, to introduce additional top-down controls and divert a part of energy flow from higher trophic level predators of the cretaceous food webs. In general, little is known about jellyfish and Noctiluca-mediated changes and their feedback mechanisms govern the general food web dynamics are poorly understood. The present modeling study indicates that their dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients release contribute to retaining nutrients effectively within the upper layer water column, sustaining the bacterial and algal productions, providing bottom-up resource supply for higher trophic levels throughout the year, and recovering a part of the energy diverted to the Noctiluca and jellyfish shunts. Noctiluca bloom events are found to be particularly pronounced if they coincide with the jellyfish blooms.

D5, red tide, Descriptor 5, Noctiluca scintillans, jellyfish, blooms, food webs, inorganic nutrients, modelling

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2000

Workshop of the Network of Experts for ReDeveloping Models of the European Marine Environment

OV

EN

201604194134

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