A Swarm Coherence Mechanism for Jellyfish

Abstract

We present a theory of jellyfish swarm formation and exemplify it with simulations of active Brownian particles. The motivation for our analysis is the phenomenon of jellyfish blooms in the ocean and clustering of jellyfish in tank experiments. We argue that such clusters emerge due to an externally induced phase transition of jellyfish density, such as convergent flows, which is then maintained and amplified by self-induced stimuli. Our study introduces three mechanisms relevant for a better understanding of jellyfish blooming that have not been taken into account before which are a signaling tracer, jellyfish-wall interaction and ignorance of external stimuli. Our results agree with the biological fact that jellyfish exhibit an extreme sensitivity to stimuli in order to achieve favorable aggregations. Based on our theoretical framework, we are able to provide a clear terminology for future experimental analysis of jellyfish swarming and we pinpoint potential limitations of tank experiments.