The Effect of Temperature on the Regenerative Abilities of Pleurobrachia bachei

Abstract

The sea gooseberry (Pleurobranchia bachei) is a common sight at the surface of the waters around Friday Harbor, WA. As comb jellies of the phylum Ctenophora, their small bodies are fragile and vulnerable to exterior damage (van Paridon, 2024). Fortunately, they have also evolved extremely fast regenerative capabilities, with some species even able to fully regenerate up to 75% of their body mass from just a small portion in under 48 hours (van Paridon, 2024). The extent of P. bachei’s ability to regenerate is not as well documented, so I wanted to examine how these regenerative abilities are tested against increased stress from environments more extreme than what they’re used to. Over the course of several days, I looked at how well P. bachei regenerates its tissue while under a drastic increase in ambient water temperature.