CCMAR Seminars: Trophic Ecology of Gelatinous Zooplankton | - CCMAR -
 

CCMAR Seminars: Trophic Ecology of Gelatinous Zooplankton

Wednesday, December 6, 2017
at 
Anf.C (CP) - Gambelas Campus UAlg
 

CCMAR SEMINARS

December 06th, at 1:30 pm on Amph. C (CP)

Trophic Ecology of Gelatinous Zooplankton

Joana Cruz

(Ecoreach-CCMAR)

 

Poster

 

Abstract

In the past years, gelatinous zooplankton blooms became more frequent in coastal areas causing several impacts on ecosystems dynamics and socio-economic activities. Many of these blooms are from non-indigenous species which may be of greater concern due to the unpredictable effects on the invaded area. The impact of these species on estuarine/marine nursery areas and their food webs became an important object of study because most them rely on early stages of fishery resources. However, routine observations on their diet composition revealed to be more diversified. Therefore, species belonging to class Hydrozoa (Blackfordia virginica), Scyphozoa (Catostylus tagi), Cubozoa (Copula sivickisi) and phylum Ctenophora (Mnemiopsis leidyi) were subject of feeding ecology studies based on gut content analysis, selectivity feeding experiments, biomarkers (stable isotopes ratios) and ecophysiological condition (RNA:DNA index) analysis. Those studies revealed that allocthonous food sources also contribute to sustain the jellies blooms especially in estuarine ecosystems where the connectivity between terrestrial and marine ecosystems are more crucial.
 

Short CV

Joana Cruz is a researcher working in CCMAR at ECOREACH group (Ecology and Restoration of Riverine, Estuarine and Coastal Habitats), has a Master degree in Marine and Coastal Studies from the University of Algarve, graduated in Marine Biology by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon where is presently doing her PhD about the secondary production on the Portuguese coast.

Her research interests are related with the marine plankton ecology, particularly the trophic dynamics of plankton and secondary production with emphasis on zooplankton. Recently, Joana started to develop research on the trophic ecology of gelatinous zooplankton, though, she already embraced various areas such as the plankton physiology focusing the reproduction, feeding and respiration of copepods, or decapod larval stages ecology of the Portuguese coastal waters.

Joana Cruz is the author of several research papers in peer reviewed journals, and participated in various research projects.

 

 

 

 

Type of Event 
Seminar
Keywords 
seminars