Dr. John H. Costello, Providence College professor of biology, and two colleagues from other Rhode Island institutions have been awarded a grant of $860,400 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a research project on jellyfish, Dr. Costello's area of expertise.

Dr. Costello and fellow researchers Dr. Dian Gifford of the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography and Dr. Sean Colin of Roger Williams University will
study the ecological function of hydromedusae, or small jellyfish, in coastal ecosystems. The study will focus on the feeding behaviors of the jellyfish-a subject about which little is known. The research is expected to increase understanding of both feeding patterns of the jellyfish and of the biomechanical factors influencing their evolution.

The three-year project, which officially begins on June 1, will involve faculty members and students of all three institutions in every aspect of the research. The researchers and their assistants are expected to study small hydromedusae in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Their objectives will be to quantify the impact of the feeding ecology of the hydromedusae on the plankton community and to quantify when and what they are feeding on.

"Many millions of years before any animals with bones-probably before even shelled animals existed-jellyfish were already established in the world's oceans," Dr. Costello said. "In fact, they are members of the first animal group to have evolved muscles for motion.  Given the success of these ancient lineages, you can imagine that these structurally simple organisms embody many of the most basic and enduring solutions evolved by animals to cope with the marine environment.

"The specific goals of our work," he continued, "focus on how these medusae feed and how their feeding influences the ecosystems they live in. Although most of the medusae are small, their potential impacts may be large. Our passion as scientists is to unravel how these relationships work and we're fortunate to have the resources to find some of the answers."
 
Dr. Costello has received grants to study jellyfish several times in the past. In 1994, he was awarded a grant worth more than $100,000 from the NSF to study Scyphomedusae, a large class of stinging jellyfish that became numerous in Narragansett Bay. In 2001, he received a three-year, $243,668, research grant from the Biology Oceanography Program of the NSF to study the Ctenophore, a non-stinging jellyfish present in much of the Atlantic Ocean.
 
In 2000, Dr. Costello's research was highlighted in a PBS series examining the movement and behavior patterns of cnidarians, a major invertebrate group.

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