Predation by the ctenophoreMnemiopsis leidyi in Narragansett Bay,Rhode Island

The impact ofMnemiopsis leidyi as a predator was studied quantitatively to determine their feeding rates on mixed natural zooplankton. These studies showed that feeding rate was independent of food concentration, but a function of both temperature and size of ctenophore. The feeding rate (liters cleared per mg dry weight per day) ranged from about 0.01 for larger ctenophores at lower temperatures (10–15°C) to about 0.1 for smaller ctenophores at higher temperatures (20–25°C). Combining these results with ctenophore biomass estimates from three years of sampling, numerical estimates were made of zooplankton mortality due to ctenophore predation. The maximum summer cropping byM. leidyi was calculated to be an average of 5–10% per day for the bay as a whole. Although substantial, this predation pressure alone does not account for the observed summer decline of zooplankton.