The role of jellyfish as a food source in the Arctic winter

The Arctic is changing rapidly due to climate change. It is not only affected by increasing surface temperatures, but also by warm water from the Atlantic, which is flowing in more and more – changing the structures and functions of the ecosystem as it also leads to species from warmer regions, such as jellyfish, arriving in the Arctic. Using DNA metabarcoding, researchers from the AWI have now been able to prove for the first time that these jellyfish serve as food for amphipods on Svalbard during the polar night. They present their findings in a recent article in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1327650).

Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft