Three-dimensional ecological niche modelling of midwater jellyfish

• Applicant: Dr. Gerlien Verhaegen
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431428491

The midwater, the oceans’ pelagic zone between 200 and 4000 meters of depths, is the largest continuous biome on our planet. Despite the technological advances in survey techniques over the last 30 years, less than 1% of this vast and hard to reach habitat has been sampled. As pelagic ecosystems are being widely acknowledged for their relevance in ecosystem services, our knowledge gap of the midwater is becoming an increasing problem as it hampers our ability to predict how it will be affected by global change and anthropogenic pressures. Here, based on underwater video footage collected worldwide, we will study the most abundant and relevant midwater organisms: the hydromedusae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Using ecological niche modelling in three dimensions (3D), we will answer fundamental questions regarding their ecology, distribution, diversity, and speciation mechanisms. The final output of our project will be a 3D interactive map projecting the realised niches of different midwater jellyfish species on a globe under present and future climatic scenarios. Our findings regarding midwater ecology will allow us to predict how climate change will impact the midwater, and therefore give us a glimpse on what our oceans will look like in the future.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Japan
• Host: Dhugal Lindsay, Ph.D.