Seasonal hydromedusan feeding patterns in an Eastern Boundary Current show consistent predation on primary consumers

Abstract

Cnidarian jellyfish can be dominant players in the food webs of highly productive Eastern Boundary Currents (EBC). However, the trophic role of inconspicuous hydromedusae in EBCs has traditionally been overlooked. We collected mesozooplankton from five stations along two cross-shelf transects in the Northern California Current (NCC) during winter and summer of 2018–2019. We analyzed gut contents of 11 hydromedusan species and the prey community to (i) determine prey resource use by hydromedusae and (ii) determine temporal shifts in the trophic niche of hydromedusae, focusing on the two most collected species (Clytia gregaria and Eutonina indicans). Hydromedusae in the NCC fed mostly on copepods, appendicularians and invertebrate larvae. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling of hydromedusan diets showed seasonal shifts in prey resource driven by the abundant C. gregaria, which fed mostly on copepod eggs during winter and fed mostly on appendicularians and copepods during summer. Prey selectivity for copepod eggs increased during winter for C. gregaria and E. indicans. Intriguingly, theoretical ingestion rates show that both species acquire similar amounts of carbon during upwelling and nonupwelling conditions. Hydromedusae’s consistent presence and predation impact across seasons may lead to significant effects in carbon and energy transfer through the NCC food web.