Significance of food type for growth on scyphozoan ephyrae

• Grant number: 15/07479-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2015
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: André Carrara Morandini
• Grantee: Henrique Alves dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Despite the ecological, social and economic importance of scyphiozoan jellyfish, little is known about strategies and dietary restrictions and the importance of different food items to growth in ephyrae stage (young jellyfish). These basic aspects of the biology of ephyrae are of great importance to the understanding of their ecological and essential role for the cultivation of different species. Therefore, the objective of this work is to study the consumption and the growth of newly released ephyrae of Aurelia spp, Chysaora plocamia and Lychnorhiza lucerna in the treatment of four different types of food: baby brine shrimp, rotifers, ephyrae of Nausithoe spp. (Scyphozoa, Coronatae) and particulate organic matter. Feeding rates will be quantified (clearance rate and daily intake) and growth rates (gross efficiency of growth and specific growth rate). Morphometric data (eg overall diameter of the central disc, marginal lobe length) will be measured to test the hypothesis that changes in the diet may lead to different allometric patterns. Finally, will be discussed: the importance of food types and their environmental availability; mechanisms of feeding; and possible eating habits of the species of interest. (AU)