Data Paper. Data Paper

<h2>File List</h2><blockquote> <p><a href="body_composition.txt">body_composition.txt</a> -- comma-delimited ASCII text file, 239 records not including header row.</p> <p><a href="size_to_mass_biometric_equations.txt">size_to_mass_biometric_equations.txt</a> -- comma-delimited ASCII text file, 199 records not including header row. </p> <p><a href="mass_to_mass_biometric_equations.txt">mass_to_mass_biometric_equations.txt</a> -- comma-delimited ASCII text file, 66 records not including header row. </p> </blockquote><h2>Description</h2><blockquote> <p>Many marine organisms have gelatinous bodies, but the trait is most common in the medusae (phylum Cnidaria), ctenophores (phylum Ctenophora), and the pelagic tunicates (phylum Chordata, class Thaliacea). Although there are taxonomic and trophic differences between the thaliaceans and the other two closely related phyla, the collective term "jellyfish" has been used within the framework of this article. Because of the apparent increase in bloom events, jellyfish are receiving greater attention from the wider marine science community. Questions being posed include: (1) what is the role of jellyfish in pelagic food webs in a changing environment, and (2) what is the role of jellyfish in large-scale biogeochemical processes such as the biological carbon pump? In order to answer such questions, fundamental data on body composition and biomass are required. The purpose of this data set was to compile proximate and elemental body composition and length–mass and mass–mass regressions for jellyfish (i.e., medusae, siphonophores, ctenophores, salps, doliolids, and pyrosomes) to serve as a baseline data set informing studies on biogeochemical cycling, food web dynamics, and ecosystem modeling, and physiology. Using mainly published data from 1932 to 2010, we have assembled three data sets: (1) body composition (wet, dry, and ash-free dry mass, C, N, P as a percentage of wet and dry mass, and C:N), (2) length–mass biometric equations, and (3) mass–mass biometric equations. The data sets represent a total of 102 species from six classes (20 Thaliacea, 2 Cubozoa, 33 Hydrozoa, 26 Scyphozoa, 17 Tentaculata, 4 Nuda) in three phyla. Where it exists, we have included supplementary data on location, salinity, whole animal or tissue type, measured size range, and where appropriate, the regression type with values of sample size, correlation coefficients (<i>r</i>, <i>r</i>²), and level of significance for the relationship. In addition to the raw unpublished data, we have provided summary tables of mean (± SD) body composition for the main taxonomic groups.</p> <p><i>Key words: biometric relationships; carbon; ctenophores; dry mass; Medusae; nitrogen; organic mass; proximate composition; salps</i>.</p> </blockquote

Parameters from fit equation (4) for <i>E. huxleyi</i>.

<p>Parameters from fit <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088308#pone.0088308.e004" target="_blank">equation (4</a>) for <i>E. huxleyi</i>.</p

Summary of environmental and hydroclimate variables affecting the jelly-carbon depositions.

<p>(A) Structural changes of the temperature and chlorophyll a (Chla) over the period of jelly-carbon transfer. Significant temporal changes occurred in environmental predictors, although they were more evident in temperature. Significant changes are reached when the predictors surpass the threshold limits (p<0.05). (B) Synthesis of environmental and biological changes with the identification of the timing of the change (along with the significance). The horizontal dashed lines represent average biomass values for the main periods before and after 2001 (significantly different, t-test, p<0.05). (C) Monthly hydroclimate first principal Component (PC1) individual values for the study period from 1994 to 2005. (D) Quartile analysis of the zscores of temperature, Chla and the normalized (per unit area) biomass from 1994 to 2005 separately for each sector and then for all sectors.</p

Physiological response of <i>G. oceanica</i> and <i>E. huxleyi</i> to increasing CO₂ and temperature.

<p>Response of growth, POC production, calcification rates and PIC:POC to increasing CO₂ and temperature of <i>G. oceanica</i> (left, open symbols) and <i>E. huxleyi</i> (right, closed symbols). Horizontal bars indicate change of CO₂ from beginning to end of experiment. In some cases the changes were small and thus appear absent. Shaded areas represent OA relevant ranges (∼280–1000 µatm <i>p</i>CO₂). Note that the investigated CO₂ range (x-axis) is only half as broad for experiments with <i>G.oceanica</i> compared to the one of <i>E.huxleyi</i>.</p

Calcification rate of <i>E. huxleyi</i> in response to elevated CO₂ at different temperatures.

<p>Depending on the growth temperature the rate of calcification can decrease strongly or moderately or even increase with rising CO₂ levels. The “low”, “intermediate” and “high” refers to experimental temperature of 10, 15 and 20°C, respectively. The slope of a tangent at [CO₂] of 18 µmol kg⁻¹ in the 10°C treatment of <i>E. huxleyi</i> is almost 0 which means that the optimum curve has reached a plateau in the OA relevant CO₂ range. At 20°C there is a positive slope which means that cells have not yet reached the optimum CO₂ for calcification at 18 µmol kg⁻¹ in this temperature.</p

Study region in the western Mediterranean Sea continental margin.

<p>The individual sampling sites (trawls) are presented in this map separated by sector to show the large scale of the depositions. Also included is a detailed 3D bathymetry display (copyright by Ifremer) of the canyon complexity in the north of sector 3 and a photo of freshly caught biomass. General bathymetry map data taken from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) digital atlas.</p

Morphometric analysis of <i>E</i>. <i>huxleyi</i> CCMP 88E and NZEH after incubations in water collected from 1,000 m and 4,800 m.

<p>Coccosphere = cells and surrounding coccoliths; DS = distal shield; CA = central area; DSL = distal shield length. The numbers on the second and third rows represent the standard deviation and population size respectively.</p