Life-stage dependent, in situ dietary patterns of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi Agassiz 1865

Analysis of in situ gut contents of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi collected during summer months of 1998 at Woods Hole, MA, USA indicates that dietary changes accompanied development of this zooplankter. The transition from cydippid to lobate morphologies involved a shift from a microplanktonic diet dominated by protists to a metazoan-based diet. Dietary diversity increased rapidly during the transition from cydippid to lobate stage but remained essentially similar through most (> 3.0 cm total length) of the lobate stage. These stage-dependent dietary differences may have important implications for understanding population dynamics of M. leidyi.