Quantitative trends in sponge ecology research

Abstract It is almost dogmatic that sponges are one of the most relevant groups in benthic marine communities, a statement generally based upon their diversity and abundance in natural communities. But beyond their conspicuousness, do we really know the role that sponges play in nature? Using a series of productivity indicators, this review evaluates the relevance of sponge research to the general scientific community, particularly the contribution of sponge ecology to the broader science of ecology. The relevance of sponge research ranked second out of eight taxonomic groups. Ecology accounted for most of the sponge research output but it ranked poorly compared to the relative importance of the ecological literature in the remaining taxonomic groups. Sponge ecology focused primarily on the species level of organization even though the relevance of these studies fell well below expected. This review suggests that the ecological relevance of sponges is insufficiently supported by ecological data and would benefit from better scientific support. Sponge ecology has the opportunity to contribute to the broader science of ecology in numerous topics where sponge research may be particularly relevant. Broader ecological contributions will help verify the ecological relevance that the great diversity and abundance of sponges suggest.     

Mediterranean commercial sponges: over 5000 years of natural history and cultural heritage

This paper deals with the history of the exploitation of a natural resource made up of various types of Mediterranean horny sponges. It also provides an update on trends in the trade of these sponges. The distribution and taxonomic status of Mediterranean species of commercial interest belonging to the genera Spongia and Hippospongia are reported upon and partly emended by (i) the selection of neotypes for Spongia mollissima , Hippospongia communis , and Spongia agaricina from the Indo-Pacific Ocean versus the Mediterranean Spongia lamella , and (ii) the discussion regarding the problematic status of Spongia zimocca . Attention is also focused upon species that have been of recent commercial interest as sources of metabolites with biomedical potential, such as Dysidea avara, which is considered endangered due to a pressing demand for the industrial extraction of chemicals it produces ( e.g . Avarol). The wild harvesting of new target sponges is also discussed, together with a proposal for a rational, sustainable, long-term strategy for Mediterranean sponge management. Sponge culture in situ is suggested as a useful approach that may allow eco-compatible management and conservation of this natural resource.     

The functional roles of marine sponges

Despite the wide range of functional roles performed by marine sponges they are still poorly represented in many research, monitoring and conservation programmes. The aim of this review is to examine recent developments in our understanding of sponge functional roles in tropical, temperate and polar ecosystems. Functions have been categorised into three areas: (a) impacts on substrate (including bioerosion, reef creation, and substrate stabilisation, consolidation and regeneration); (b) bentho-pelagic coupling (including carbon cycling, silicon cycling, oxygen depletion and nitrogen cycling); and (c) associations with other organisms (facilitating primary production, secondary production, provision of microhabitat, enhanced predation protection, survival success, range expansions and camouflage though association with sponges, sponges as a settlement substrate, disrupting near-boundary and reef level flow regimes, sponges as agents of biological disturbance, sponges as releasers of chemicals and sponges as tools for other organisms). The importance of sponges on substrate, sponge bentho-pelagic coupling, and sponge interactions and associations is described. Although the scientific evidence strongly supports the significance and widespread nature of these functional roles sponges still remain underappreciated in marine systems.     

The Sponge Community of a Semi-Submerged Mediterranean Cave

Abstract. The sponge fauna of a semi-submerged cave from the Tremiti Archipelago (Adriatic Sea) was studied, and its distribution was analyzed in relation to abiotic (water-movement and light gradients) and biotic (algae and anthozoan substrate cover) ecological factors. Fifty-five species of sponges were recorded. The number of species and the abundance values of sponges increase in the first part of the cave, then progressively decrease, with a sharp fall at the end of the cave. The quick disappearance of algae along the light gradient allows sponges to thrive in the first portion of the cave. The subsequent, progressive decrement of sponges could be the result of food depletion phenomena due to a long persistence of the water body in this long cavity. A high water-turbulence, due to the peculiar morphology of the cave and indicated by the recorded values of water-movement, occurs at the end of the cavity and probably determines the sharp decrement of sponges in the inner portion of the cave. This turbulence may also explain the absence of typical still-water cave species and probably affects the type of development (shape, overgrowth) of the sponges in the community.     

Hydroid assemblages from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (34–42° S)

This paper provides updated taxonomic knowledge about hydrozoan species and provides ecological information including geographical and bathymetric distributions and biological substrata for the various hydroid assemblages from the Sub-Antarctic Biogeographical Region, mainly Buenos Aires and the Uruguayan coasts. Five of the 41 species found are new records for the study region. Thirty-one species (75.6%), all found at depths of less than 80 m, have cosmopolitan distributions. Biodiversity decreased markedly below 80 m depth, where nine species (≈22%) distributed in the Southern hemisphere and one endemic species (2.4%) were found. Most species were non-specific epizoites, occurring on diverse substrata. A non-parametric multivariate similarity analysis revealed nine species groups that were correlated with large-scale and local oceanographic patterns and with the availability of suitable substrata. The main hydroid substrata for eight of the groups were cnidarians, molluscs (mainly blue mussels), quartzite rocks and sponges. In a single group found in Patagonian scallop beds, the main biological substrata were polychaete tubes, other hydroids and scallops.     

An early Paleogene sponge fauna,Chatham Island,New Zealand

A late Paleocene‐early Eocene (c. 60–53 Ma) poriferan fauna, comprising hexactinellids (Class Hexactinellida), astrophorids (Class Demospongiae: Family Astrophorida), and lithistids ("lithistid” Demospongiae) has been identified from the Tutuiri Greensand outcropping on the north coast of Chatham Island, New Zealand. Most of the fossils are hexactinellids, comprising extremely delicate siliceous networks embedded in friable sandstone. The sediment matrix within and around these skeletons contains numerous siliceous demosponge spicules, many of which are exceptionally well preserved. The soft friable matrix of the Tutuiri Greensand has made extraction a relatively simple process, making taxonomic identification of the material, and comparison with adjacent Recent and other New Zealand Eocene faunas possible. These sponge body fossils and spicule microfossils indicate a fauna that was once dominated by hexactinellids, lithistid, and astrophorid demosponges. A qualitative comparison of the abundance and diversity of the Tutuiri Greensand sponge fauna with the present‐day Chatham Rise sponge fauna indicates that the late Paleocene‐early Eocene fauna is as diverse as the Recent fauna, for the hexactinellid sponges and astrophorid demosponges, and much more diverse for lithistid sponges. The paleoecology of the Tutuiri Greensand has been interpreted as inner to mid shelf water depths (50–250 m) but the poriferan fauna described here is more like that of the present‐day soft sediment benthic environment of the Chatham Rise at 800–1200 m.     

Sponge heterotrophic capacity and bacterial community structure in high‐ and low‐microbial abundance sponges

The ecological and evolutionary forces that shape interactions between marine sponges and their symbiotic microbiota remain poorly understood. Considerable work has been done to characterize the sponge microbiome, and this research has shown that there are two distinct types of sponges: those with high microbial abundances (HMA) and those with low microbial abundances (LMA). There is no clear evolutionary driver for this distinction, and we have only a limited understanding of how HMA or LMA status affects host phenotypes (e.g. feeding behavior, capacity for nutrient cycling). We had two primary goals with the present study. First, we used a variety of microscopic techniques to compare aspects of host biology (e.g. choanocyte chamber morphology and density) in the context of symbiont status. Secondly, we used molecular approaches to uncover components of ecological structure of bacterial communities in HMA versus LMA sponges (e.g. species richness, evenness). We found that choanocyte chamber density is greater in LMA sponges than in HMA sponges. We also found distinct patterns of organization for bacterial communities in HMA and LMA sponges, although environmental factors, to a lesser degree, also influence community structure in the Floridian sponges we examined. These results suggest that the large bacterial communities found in HMA sponges may allow the host to decrease their heterotrophy versus that of LMA sponges with minimal bacterial communities.     

Sponge waste that fuels marine oligotrophic food webs: a re‐assessment of its origin and nature

It has recently been realized that sponges take up much of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) available in the water of reefs. The energy derived from this DOM is suggested to be invested in renewing the sponge filter cells (choanocytes) every few hours, generating an outflow of detrital particulate organic matter (POM) that is rapidly ingested by other invertebrates. By this DOM‐to‐POM recycling, sponges are proposed to fuel the food web of oligotrophic marine communities, including reefs, caves and deep‐sea environments. In four species studied herein by electron microscopy, the POM found in the outgoing aquiferous canals had a complex composition, with large between‐species differences. It may include choanocytes (0–52%), and also mesohyl cells, such as archeocytes (9–20%) and spherulous, and granular cells with inclusions (27–90%). Exocytosed vesicles also occurred. Surprisingly, to end up into the outgoing canals, the internal mesohyl cells squeezed between the epithelial cells (endopinacocytes) of the canal wall. Mesohyl cells were also able to transfer their inclusions to the endopinacocytes, which in turn extruded their acquired vesicle loads into the canal lumen. The unanticipated abundant participation of mesohyl cells and endopinacocytes in the production of POM appears to be an ordinary process that occurs continuously in the sponges, mostly related to elimination of digestion leftovers and excretion by‐products. Therefore, POM is generated by sponges irrespective of whether the primary food source is particulate (evidence from this study) or DOM (previous literature). Altogether, these results indicate that the cellular mechanisms behind the relevant organic‐matter recycling carried out by sponges are more diverse than initially anticipated. The varying ratios of choanocytes/mesohyl cells in the POM across species suggest that different sponge species may impact differently the energetics of food webs of the respective oligotrophic habitats where they dominate.     

Benthic assemblage composition on subtidal reefs along a latitudinal gradient in Western Australia

At regional scales, the distribution of species and the structure of assemblages vary with latitude within many marine and terrestrial systems. The oligotrophic coastal waters of Western Australia (WA) support highly speciose and endemic assemblages, yet spatial patterns in benthic structure are currently poorly known. We examined benthic assemblage composition along a latitudinal gradient of 28.5–33.5°S and a depth gradient of 14–62 m, on subtidal reefs in warm-temperate WA. We surveyed benthos using a remotely triggered digital stills camera. In total, we sampled macroalgae and sessile invertebrates at 201 sites spread across four locations. Percent cover of coarse taxonomic groups and dominant species was estimated from over 2000 photoquadrat samples. We recorded significant differences in benthic assemblage composition between locations, and along depth gradients within each location. However, the magnitude of change with depth was not consistent between locations, and shifts in assemblage composition along the depth gradients were not as pronounced as expected. The percent cover of all dominant benthic groupings differed between locations, and several key taxa, such as the kelp Scytothalia dorycarpa, brown foliose macroalgae, hard corals and sponges, changed predictably along the latitudinal gradient. Our study adopted a coarse taxonomic, but assemblage-wide, approach to describing macrobenthic assemblages, and clear differences between locations and depths were detected. The surveys have provided baseline data on broad scale ecosystem structure against which to detect future ecological change.     

Assessment of the effectiveness of natural coral fragmentation as a dispersal mechanism for coral reef‐boring sponges

Eastern Pacific reefs are mostly made up of interlocking coral branches of Pocillopora, which are easily broken by physical forces associated with heavy swells and winds. In this study we investigated the potential of these coral fragments to enable propagation of boring sponges. For this, we quantified the frequency of occurrence and diversity of boring sponges in fragments of corals recently trapped among the branches of live colonies, and later tested the hypothesis that these sponges colonize new branches of corals. Nearly 80% of the coral colonies investigated had coral fragments among their branches, and 69% of these coral fragments contained boring sponges (11 species), some of these sponges in reproduction (23% of them carried oocytes). To test whether sponges inhabiting coral fragments could colonize new branching corals we transplanted them to healthy branches, and to branches whose living tissue was mechanically eliminated to simulate damage produced by grazing and death after bleaching and other causes of coral tissue mortality. All the transplanted coral fragments cemented to each new colony by means of calcification, and of the three sponge species tested (Cliona vermifera, Cliona tropicalis and Thoosa mismalolli) only C. vermifera was able to colonize both new living branches (26.9%) and cleaned branches (65.5%). The apparent capability of C. vermifera to colonize by direct contact may be another key ability of this species to maintain high frequency of occurrence in Pacific coral reefs. However, although C. tropicalis and T. mismalolli were not able to colonize new coral substrata by direct contact, coral fragments have the potential to contribute to local persistence of these sponges and to their dispersal, both by asexual (fragments) and sexual means (transport of sexual products). The present findings may partly explain the current increase of excavating sponges on deteriorating reefs with a large availability of dead branching corals.     

海绵共附生微生物次级代谢产物的研究进展

海绵独特的摄食、滤食系统使其体内体表富集了大量的微生物,这些微生物能够产生多种结构新颖的生物活性物质,对海绵共附生微生物的研究正在成为开发海洋药物资源的重要内容之一。本文按化合物的生源途径及其结构类型简要介绍近几年来海绵共附生微生物次级代谢产物及其生物活性的研究进展。     

海绵和海鞘中可培养放线菌的分离与多样性比较

在相同的分离培养条件下,为比较地域差别较大的福建海域海绵动物(山海绵Mycale sp.和网架海绵Stylissa sp.)和海南海域海鞘动物(皱瘤海鞘Styela plicata和乳突皮海鞘Molgula manhattensis)之间可培养放线菌多样性的差异,作者采用5种放线菌分离培养基和1种细菌通用培养基,对海绵和海鞘中的放线菌进行分离培养。采用16S rRNA 基因限制性片段长度多态性(Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism, RFLP)分析和序列分析,揭示其多样性。共获得可培养放线菌198株,其中从海绵中分离到87株放线菌,从海鞘中分离到111株放线菌。RFLP分析表现为38种不同的图谱类型。16S rRNA基因序列分析表明,从海绵中分离到的放线菌包括6个放线菌属,其中有2株菌的16S rRNA基因序列与最相近的菌株相似性低于97%,可能是潜在的新菌株;从海鞘中分离到的放线菌包括7个放线菌属,有8株可能是潜在的新菌株。比较海绵和海鞘中可培养放线菌的多样性发现,从海绵中分离到的放线菌,除节细菌(Arthrobacter)以外,均包括在海鞘分离的放线菌属中。海鞘相关放线菌多样性水平不容忽视,是除海绵之外另一获得新型放线菌资源以及药用天然活性产物的重要来源。     

三种蛏不同组织同工酶的比较分析

通过对竹蛏科的缢蛏、细长竹蛏、长竹蛏5种组织(鳃、消化腺、外套膜、足、水管)聚丙烯酰氨垂直板状不连续电泳，研究了醇脱氢酶、苹果酸同工酶、苹果酸脱氢酶、超氧化物歧化酶、异柠檬酸脱氢酶等5种同工酶酶谱。结果表明，三种蛏相应的酶带迁移率组成分布有明显种属差异，三种蛏的种属差异明显大于组织间差异。不同种间的个体其酶谱表型有稳定的差异，这些差异是有关基因表达和调控的差异所造成的。可利用其酶谱表型具有种特异性作为一种蛋白分子标记，应用于竹蛏科物种的鉴定上。     

Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) symbiotic with Porifera: a review

Many hydroids are symbiotic with other organisms. Sponges, because of their complex canal system and their filter‐feeding activity inducing a continuous water flow, are used by numerous species as either exclusive or facultative substrata. The associated hydroid fauna thriving on or inside sponges shows a wide range of relationships with their hosts. Hydroids may be simply epibiotic on sponges, their stolons running on the host surface. Alternatively, the stolons may grow inside the sponge body, the polyps emerging from the sponge surface, having also the possibility of retraction inside the sponge tissue. Finally, stolons and branches may develop deeply inside the sponge body, producing a skeletal network for sponge growth. This paper reviews the described relationships of hydrozoans symbiotic with sponges and reports new observations.     

东太平洋海洋微生物种群多样性初步研究

以东太平洋海洋微生物群落为研究对象,用稀释平板分离法,从海水中分离得到67株细菌。在形态观察的基础上选取48株进行培养,然后进行16S rDNA基因扩增,并用限制性内切酶RsaI和MspI对PCR产物进行ARDRA(Amplified rDNA restriction analysis)多态性分析,共得到10种不同的操作分类单元(Operational Taxonomic Unit,OTU)。其中OTU4和OTU10所包含的菌株分别占总分离物的35.4%和18.8%,为优势分离菌。优势分离菌的ERIC-PCR基因组指纹图分析表明,前者的17株分离物共有10种不同的指纹图类型,而后者的9株分离物有3种。结果显示,东太平洋海域的海水和底质沉积物具有明显的微生物种群多样性特征。     

Size scaling patterns of species richness and carbon biomass for marine phytoplankton functional groups

Phytoplankton assemblages were clustered into associations according to functional taxonomic (diatoms, dinoflagellates and coccolithophores) and “ataxonomic” unimodal (nanoplankton, microplankton and macroplankton) size‐based criteria. Scaling relations of species richness‐cell size were performed in terms of histogram and log‐transformed data analyses for both taxonomic and ataxonomic groups. Frequency distribution histograms were fitted to a negative power function, which was strongly unimodal and right skewed and invariant across taxonomic and ataxonomic units. Regression analyses of the log‐transformed data were fitted to negative linear curves, which had common patterns and they were independent of taxonomic or ataxonomic affiliation. Species carbon biomass–cell size spectra produced by log transformation of the relevant data yielded positive slopes for both taxonomic and ataxonomic groups. In contrast, comparisons of the relative cell abundance, cell volume and carbon biomass levels showed large differences among these variables across taxonomic and ataxonomic groups. This work demonstrates that phytoplankton taxonomic and ataxonomic functional group relationships should be considered when developing future models of phytoplankton community structure.     

Status of the glass sponge reefs in the Georgia Basin

The purpose of this paper is to describe the status and general faunal composition of sponge reefs in the Georgia Basin (GB), British Columbia, Canada. Fourteen distinct deep-water glass sponge (Hexactinellid) reefs have been mapped using multibeam bathymetry and sidescan sonar in the GB. Seven of these have been surveyed visually using video from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Analysis of video data indicated that three reefs were undamaged, two were damaged and the other two were damaged but potentially recovering. The nature of the damaged reefs, with large areas of scattered dead sponge skeleton fragments and few live reef-building sponges (Aphrocallistes vastus and Heterochone calyx), as well as video evidence of tracks suggest they were damaged mechanically by mobile fishing gear.Relative abundance of the megafauna associated with the reefs is discussed in the context of oceanographic conditions, such as sediment accumulation and organic flux, as well as overall reef status. Of particular interest for fisheries conservation efforts in the area was the fact that one undamaged reef in the southern GB showed higher taxonomic richness and abundance of rockfish (Sebastes spp.), both adult and juvenile, compared to an adjacent damaged reef. This result suggests that undamaged reefs may act as refugia for these endangered stocks.     

The Sponge Population of the Cabrera Archipelago (Balearic Islands): Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of the Most Representative Species

Abstract. The abundance, distribution, and species richness of the littoral sponges (0–55 m) from the Cabrera Archipelago (Balearic Islands) were studied along light gradients from the surface to the sea bottom and from cave mouths to their inner parts. A total of 98 species (11 Calcarea and 87 Demospongiae ) were recorded, 8 of which are new records for the Spanish coast.
Cluster and correspondence analyses enabled the identification of a sciophilous sponge group including three subgroups: sponges found only in semi-dark cave habitats, a subgroup common to the coralligenous, precoralligenous, and semi-dark cave biocoenoses, and a third subgroup exclusive to the coralligenous biocoenosis. A small number of photophilic species and other species having a wide bathymetric distribution made up another separate group. No species clusters for the different semi-sciophilous (either fleshy or carbonate) or photophilic seaweed communities were discernible. The number of sponge species was negatively correlated with the irradiance level.     

Integrative taxonomic description of Plakina kanaky,a new polychromatic sponge species from New Caledonia (Porifera: Homoscleromorpha)

Four similar sponges of different colors, all unknown to science, were collected in submarine caves of New Caledonia. We aimed at determining whether the four chromotypes represented different species or phenotypic variations of a unique new species. We used an integrative taxonomic approach combining morphologic, molecular and metabolomic analyses. The main traits that define these specimens are a skeleton made of monolophose, trilophose and tetralophose calthrops only, high chemical diversity and a high abundance and diversity of prokaryotic symbionts. The symbiotic community includes two unique prokaryote morphotypes, which are described for the first time in Homoscleromorpha, and appeared to be vertically transmitted. Although several features slightly differ among chromotypes, the most parsimonious conclusion was to propose a single new species Plakina kanaky sp. nov. Our phylogenetic analysis indicated the paraphyly of the Plakina genus, with P. kanaky sp. nov. belonging to a clade that includes Plakina jani and Plakina trilopha. The present work demonstrates that integrative taxonomy should be used in order to revise the entire Plakinidae family and especially the non‐monophyletic genus Plakina.