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Peer-reviewedCC BYEcological Indicators

Evidence for potential top-down control of meso- and micro-copepods during jellyfish blooms revealed by eDNA metabarcoding

  • Shiyu Mo1
  • Song Feng2
  • Yaran Xu1
  • Chengze Du1
  • Xueting Xu1
  • Jianing Lin3
  • Shuqun Song1
  • Yongquan Yuan1
  • Song Sun4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China; College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266400, China
  2. 2Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China; College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266400, China; Corresponding author at: Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China.
  3. 3Institute of Eco-Environmental Forensics, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
  4. 4Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266000, China; College of Marine Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266400, China; Jiaozhou Bay National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
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Abstract

The limitation of traditional survey methods has catalyzed the rapid development and widespread application of eDNA metabarcoding. By collecting water samples from coastal waters off the Shandong Peninsula across the key blooming phase (May and August) of jellyfish, this study reveals the environmental drivers of jellyfish blooms and the potential top-down control exerted by jellyfish on meso- and micro-copepods. The results indicate that Aurelia coerulea is predominantly distributed in the northern Laizhou Bay, while Nemopilema nomurai is mainly found in the transition zone of Bohai and Yellow Seas. This distribution pattern may be attributed to different habitat selectivity during the polyp stage as well as environmental adaptability and ocean current effect during the medusa stage. The relative read abundance (RRA) of A. coerulea was significantly negatively correlated with that of meso- and micro-copepods, a pattern consistent with a potential top-down effect; however, under potentially phosphorus-limiting conditions, this inverse association did not cascade into an increase in phytoplankton biomass reflected by Chl a variation. Instead, elevated jellyfish RRA was associated with increased water turbidity. Our study provides a methodological paradigm for applying eDNA approach to elucidate the ecological consequences of regional jellyfish blooms, with future potential for scaling up to ecosystem-level investigations.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{mo2026evidence,
  title = {{Evidence for potential top-down control of meso- and micro-copepods during jellyfish blooms revealed by eDNA metabarcoding}},
  author = {Shiyu Mo and Song Feng and Yaran Xu and Chengze Du and Xueting Xu and Jianing Lin and Shuqun Song and Yongquan Yuan and Song Sun},
  journal = {Ecological Indicators},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115715},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115715},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Evidence for potential top-down control of meso- and micro-copepods during jellyfish blooms revealed by eDNA metabarcoding
AU  - Shiyu Mo
AU  - Song Feng
AU  - Yaran Xu
AU  - Chengze Du
AU  - Xueting Xu
AU  - Jianing Lin
AU  - Shuqun Song
AU  - Yongquan Yuan
AU  - Song Sun
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - Ecological Indicators
DO  - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115715
AB  - The limitation of traditional survey methods has catalyzed the rapid development and widespread application of eDNA metabarcoding. By collecting water samples from coastal waters off the Shandong Peninsula across the key blooming phase (May and August) of jellyfish, this study reveals the environmental drivers of jellyfish blooms and the potential top-down control exerted by jellyfish on meso- and micro-copepods. The results indicate that Aurelia coerulea is predominantly distributed in the northern Laizhou Bay, while Nemopilema nomurai is mainly found in the transition zone of Bohai and Yellow Seas. This distribution pattern may be attributed to different habitat selectivity during the polyp stage as well as environmental adaptability and ocean current effect during the medusa stage. The relative read abundance (RRA) of A. coerulea was significantly negatively correlated with that of meso- and micro-copepods, a pattern consistent with a potential top-down effect; however, under potentially phosphorus-limiting conditions, this inverse association did not cascade into an increase in phytoplankton biomass reflected by Chl a variation. Instead, elevated jellyfish RRA was associated with increased water turbidity. Our study provides a methodological paradigm for applying eDNA approach to elucidate the ecological consequences of regional jellyfish blooms, with future potential for scaling up to ecosystem-level investigations.
SN  - 1470-160X
SN  - 1872-7034
ER  -