This $125,954 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports collaborative research examining the role of mucus in the success and range expansion of Cassiopea jellyfish and related species. Over the two-year award period ending December 2025, the research team will characterize the physical properties of Cassiopea mucus and the motility of plankton and stinging cells within it using mathematical and engineering tools. They will also analyze Cassiopea distribution changes and mucus protein expression via environmental DNA sampling, literature reviews, and nanopore RNA sequencing. Findings will assess how mucus impacts plankton prey swimming speeds while enabling stinging cell locomotion, and evaluate if mucus, stinging cells, and nematocysts aid in establishing mono-specific communities that enable range expansion. In addition to supporting interdisciplinary training for students, the award also funds an annual workshop at the Key Largo Marine Research Laboratory to present Cassiopea biology research.
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