Beyond snapshots: an integrative framework for predicting responses of jellyfish’s life cycle to marine stressors

Medusozoan (jellyfish) ecophysiology must evolve to address the complexities of rapidly changing marine environments. Historically, experiments with jellyfish species such as Aurelia and Cassiopea spp. polyps and medusae have relied on acute, static, single-stressor exposures and limited acclimation periods. While these foundational studies provided essential data, they frequently fail to mimic the gradual progression, fluctuations, and interactions of stressors, including ocean warming, marine heatwaves, deoxygenation, acidification, and eutrophication, encountered in nature. Consequently, a persistent mismatch exists between laboratory realism and actual field conditions, exacerbated by high logistical costs, a lack of methodological standardization, and limited experimental scalability, e.g., larger aquarium sizes. To bridge this gap between laboratory realism and field conditions, we propose an integrative framework centered on two foundational methodologies to capture physiological adjustments missed by sudden exposures to independent stressors: experimental acclimation using gradual environmental ramps (including diel fluctuations in mimicking coastal and surface mixed-layer ecosystems) and interactive multi-stressor (full-factorial) experiments across life-cycle stages. Here, interactive stressor methodologies simulate realistic combinations of environmental factors across full life cycles of jellyfish, while multi-omics integration links genomics and metabolomics to uncover molecular changes for observed physiological responses like respiration. Furthermore, AI-monitored imaging leverages computer-vision breakthroughs to bridge the gap between mesocosm experiments and real-time field observations, such as tracking behaviors of ephyrae. Epigenetic and transgenerational assessments further enhance the power of this framework by identifying heritable biomarkers that reveal how parental preconditioning influences offspring fitness and the likelihood of jellyfish blooms. By connecting these experimental approaches, such as multi-factorial approach, this integrative framework moves toward providing marine managers with actionable early warning systems and evidence-based method in predicting jellyfish occurrences. Stronger global collaboration and sustained funding must enable implementation of this integrative framework with the increasingly stressed oceans.