Overview
- Researchers from the University of Padova and Italy’s OGS published the first combined field‑and‑laboratory profile of Mnemiopsis leidyi in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.
- Experiments and in situ surveys show survival across 10–32 °C and salinity 10–34, with extreme heat or very low salinity reducing survival.
- The ctenophore displays mass‑reproduction pulses in late spring and again from late summer into early autumn, likely tied to warmer water and favorable salinity.
- Present in the Adriatic for about a decade, the species is likely to become a stable resident in the Venice Lagoon with potential to disrupt plankton and fish recruitment.
- Authors warn that climate change could foster larger aggregations and urge monitoring and adaptive management to limit ecological and socio‑economic impacts.