Asexual reproduction in scyphistomae of Aurelia sp.: Effects of temperature and salinity in an experimental study

The growth and survival of colonies and individuals within sedentary polyp colonies of moon jellyfish (Aurelia sp.) was investigated at three temperatures and three salinities in laboratory experiments. Growth rates of colonies (number of polyps and number of buds in the colony) and individuals (number of buds per active scyphistomae) significantly increased with temperature, but were not affected by salinity. Survival was high in all treatment combinations indicating a wide tolerance to environmental conditions. However, scyphistomae at the lowest temperature had a greater percentage of larger individuals and slower population growth rate than those at warmer temperatures. These results suggest that the reproductive strategy to maximise production of Aurelia sp. is to increase the size of scyphistomae colonies by asexual budding when conditions are good (warmer temperatures and abundant food generally during spring and summer). Budding activity slows, but the size of scyphistomae increases, during the colder winter period leading up to strobilation, resulting in the production of a greater number of ephyrae. The trigger for strobilation is possibly stressful conditions. However, if trigger conditions do not occur, the colony of scyphistomae can continue to grow and survive through a broad range of conditions spanning many seasons, thus ensuring survival of the population.