2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Penguins as ocean sentinels: using video loggers attached on predators to understand the ecological niche of jellyfishes in Antarctica
| Project/Area Number |
18K18183
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 63010:Environmental dynamic analysis-related
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| Research Institution | National Institute of Polar Research |
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Principal Investigator |
Thiebot JB 国立極地研究所, 研究教育系, 特任研究員 (70723691)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | Predator-prey / Jellyfish / Penguin / Bio-logging / Video / Antarctica |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This project brought together scientists from 7 countries, working at 12 locations around Antarctica. We used video loggers to examine jellyfish ingestions by Adelie penguins, during 2 years instead of 1 as initially planned.
We have found that penguins and other predators commonly eat jellyfishes, but probably not for energetic reasons (2020 published paper). This is especially the case for penguins repeatedly feeding on the same jellyfish, because of the cost to commute from the sea surface (paper in preparation).
Targeting jellyfish seems independent from local availability of the main prey (krill) and from regional climatic changes (analyses in progress). Hence, penguins seem to select to eat jellyfishes, but not consistently. Alternate hypotheses including self-medication are plausible. Examining which jellyfish biochemical components may be of interest to predators, and viewing jellyfish as functional food, may be important to better understand the oceans’ ecology.
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| Free Research Field |
Ecology
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
From this successful project we now know that jellyfishes are widely eaten by marine predators, but probably not for energy purposes. This is important for ecologists, to examine the flow of energy and matter in marine ecosystems; but this research may also change the way the public sees jellyfish.
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