Using LA-ICP-MS to analysis elemental composition of statoliths of Scyphozoan jellyfish

Scyphozoan jellyfish outbreak events are drawing increasing attentions during the past decade. Elemental compositions of statoliths are helpful to understand jellyfish life history and blooming mechanisms, but very rare endeavor has been focused on the Scyphozoan class. In this work, we explored the feasibility of element analysis of Aurelia aurita (a representative Scyphozoan jellyfish outbreak species in China) which may be used as proxies of environment parameters during jellyfish living and moving. Statolith crystals of Aurelia aurita were found to be a gathering of hexahedron type trigonal needle with size of 10-50 mu m long, and 5-10 mu m in diameter. By using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) downhole profiling method, elements such as Ca, Sr, Mg, Na and P were found to be above the limit of detection and limit of quantification. The epidermis of statocyst could significantly impact the element analyses, so the real statolith element signal section needs to be selected based on elements and Ca profiles together with care. By laser ablated a signal spot repeatedly, the analytical uncertainty was about 3%-4% for Sr/Ca content ratio and Mg/Ca content ratio, but above 10% for other element/Ca content ratios (n=3). Based on the analysis of statolith from temperature-control cultured jellyfish, Sr/Ca content ratios among different statoliths of the same jellyfish were about 6% (n=14), demonstrating biological processes/vital effects causing small variations compared with analytical uncertainties. Therefore, Sr/Ca content ratios may be used as a potential proxy to reveal the living environment variations the Scyphozoan jellyfish has experienced, such as temperature history, which is helpful to understand jellyfish bloom mechanisms.