Jellyfish Blooms

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Introduction: Understanding Jellyfish Blooms

   • Carlos M. Duarte, Kylie A. Pitt, Cathy H. Lucas

   Pages 1-5

3. Ecology of Jellyfish Blooms

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 7-7

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   2. What Are Jellyfishes and Thaliaceans and Why Do They Bloom?

      • Cathy H. Lucas, Michael N. Dawson

      Pages 9-44

   3. Nonindigenous Marine Jellyfish: Invasiveness, Invasibility, and Impacts

      • Keith M. Bayha, William M. Graham

      Pages 45-77

   4. Bloom and Bust: Why Do Blooms of Jellyfish Collapse?

      • Kylie A. Pitt, Ariella Chelsky Budarf, Joanna G. Browne, Robert H. Condon

      Pages 79-103

   5. Ecological and Societal Benefits of Jellyfish

      • Thomas K. Doyle, Graeme C. Hays, Chris Harrod, Jonathan D. R. Houghton

      Pages 105-127

   6. Living with Jellyfish: Management and Adaptation Strategies

      • Cathy H. Lucas, Stefan Gelcich, Shin-Ichi Uye

      Pages 129-150

4. Case Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 151-151

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   2. Population Fluctuations of Jellyfish in the Bering Sea and Their Ecological Role in This Productive Shelf Ecosystem

      • Mary Beth Decker, Kristin Cieciel, Alexander Zavolokin, Robert Lauth, Richard D. Brodeur, Kenneth O. Coyle

      Pages 153-183

   3. The Giant Jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai in East Asian Marginal Seas

      • Shin-Ichi Uye

      Pages 185-205

   4. Contrasting Trends in Populations of Rhopilema esculentum and Aurelia aurita in Chinese Waters

      • Zhijun Dong, Dongyan Liu, John K. Keesing

      Pages 207-218

   5. Chrysaora plocamia: A Poorly Understood Jellyfish from South American Waters

      • Hermes Mianzan, Javier Quiñones, Sergio Palma, Agustin Schiariti, E. Marcelo Acha, Kelly L. Robinson et al.

      Pages 219-236

   6. Pelagia noctiluca in the Mediterranean Sea

      • Antonio Canepa, Verónica Fuentes, Ana Sabatés, Stefano Piraino, Ferdinando Boero, Josep-María Gili

      Pages 237-266

   7. The Ecology of Box Jellyfishes (Cubozoa)

      • Michael J. Kingsford, Christopher J. Mooney

      Pages 267-302

5. Back Matter

   Pages 303-304

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Jellyfish are one of the most conspicuous animals in our oceans and are renowned for their propensity to form spectacular blooms. The unique features of the biology and ecology of jellyfish that enable them to bloom also make them successful invasive species and, in a few places around the world, jellyfish have become problematic. As man increasingly populates the world’s coastlines, interactions between humans and jellyfish are rising, often to the detriment of coastal-based industries such as tourism, fishing and power generation.   However we must not lose sight of the fact that jellyfish have been forming blooms in the oceans for at least 500 million years, and are an essential component of normal, healthy ocean ecosystems. Here many of the world’s leading jellyfish experts explore the science behind jellyfish blooms. We examine the unique features of jellyfish biology and ecology that cause populations to ‘bloom and bust’, and, using case studies, we show why jellyfish are important to coastal and ocean ecosystem function. We outline strategies coastal managers can use to mitigate the effects of blooms on coastal industries thereby enabling humans to coexist with these fascinating creatures. Finally we highlight how jellyfish benefit society; providing us with food and one of the most biomedically-important compounds discovered in the 20th century.  ​

• Blooms
• Ctenophores
• Jellyfish
• Medusae
• Nonindigenous marine jellyfish
• Model invertebrates

• Australian Rivers Institute and Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Griffith, Australia

  Kylie A. Pitt

• National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

  Cathy H. Lucas

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