Experts Alarmed as Jellyfish Spawn in Freshwater Lakes

"As the world's oceans undergo a dramatic rise in temperature, jellyfish blooms have become a regular occurrence, threatening both beachgoing tourists and coastal infrastructure around the world. But experts are also scrambling to explain a rise in reporting of jellyfish blooms in one of the last places anyone would expect: the freshwater lakes of middle America. In the dog days of summer this year, local news outlets began reporting on sightings of rare freshwater jellyfish drifting in all manner of freshwater sources:"

"Technically known as Craspedacusta sowerbii, or "peach blossom jellyfish," the freshwater critters measure in at about the size of a penny. Sporting translucent bodies with a white-greenish tint, peach blossom jellies have anywhere from 50 to 500 tentacles, four of which can grow to be "very long," according to a US Geological Survey factsheet. Unlike their sea-bound brethren, the freshwater jellyfish don't pose a threat to humans. They do, however, pose a threat to American freshwater ecosystems."

Jellyfish blooms have increased globally as oceans warm, affecting tourists and coastal infrastructure, and sightings have unexpectedly appeared in Midwestern freshwater lakes. The freshwater species Craspedacusta sowerbii, known as peach blossom jellyfish, are penny-sized, translucent, and bear 50 to 500 tentacles with four that can grow very long. The jellyfish do not threaten humans but pose ecological risks by preying on zooplankton, arthropods, and occasionally fish larvae, thereby competing with native fish. Native to pools along China's Yangtze River, peach blossom jellies were recorded in the Great Lakes by 1933, likely via the global fish trade. Few predators exist aside from crayfish. Researchers from Wheaton College and the University of Kansas are tracing their Midwest proliferation and ecological impacts.

Read at Futurism