Characterization of <i>Leucetta prolifera</i>, a calcarean cyanosponge from south-western Australia, and its symbionts

Fromont, Jane; Huggett, Megan J.; Lengger, Sabine K.; Grice, Kliti; Schönberg, Christine H L

doi:10.1017/s0025315415000491

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sequences retrieved with NGS have been assigned to the cyanobacterial genera Calothrix , Pleurocapsa , Chroococcidiopsis , Lyngbya , Desmonostoc , Crocosphaera , Mastigocladus , Microcoleus , Hydrocoleum , Phormidium , and Pseudanabaena (e.g. [ 83 , 84 ]) ( S4 Table and references therein). Those results show that the cyanobacterial diversity known from sponges is not yet adequately known.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sponges-Cyanobacteria associations: Global diversity overview and new data from the Eastern Mediterranean

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sponge-cyanobacteria associations have attracted research interest from an ecological, evolutionary and biotechnological perspective. Current knowledge is, in its majority, “hidden” in metagenomics research studying the entire microbial communities of sponges, while knowledge on these associations is totally missing for certain geographic areas. In this study, we (a) investigated the occurrence of cyanobacteria in 18 sponge species, several of which are studied for the first time for their cyanobionts, from a previously unexplored eastern Mediterranean ecoregion, the Aegean Sea, (b) isolated sponge-associated cyanobacteria, and characterized them based on a polyphasic (morphological-morphometric and molecular phylogenetic analysis) approach, and (c) conducted a meta-analysis on the global diversity of sponge species hosting cyanobacteria, as well as the diversity of cyanobacterial symbionts. Our research provided new records for nine sponge species, previously unknown for this association, while the isolated cyanobacteria were found to form novel clades within Synechococcus, Leptolyngbyaceae, Pseudanabaenaceae, and Schizotrichaceae, whose taxonomic status requires further investigation; this is the first report of a Schizotrichaceae cyanobacterium associated with sponges. The extensive evaluation of the literature along with the new data from the Aegean Sea raised the number of sponge species known for hosting cyanobacteria to 320 and showed that the cyanobacterial diversity reported from sponges is yet underestimated.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sponges-Cyanobacteria associations: Global diversity overview and new data from the Eastern Mediterranean

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, to demonstrate how interactions constrain or enhance distribution and abundance, long-term field observations are necessary (Wulff, 2012). Although the importance of these ecological relationships for demosponges has already been shown (Wulff, 2012), this knowledge is lacking for calcareous sponges (class Calcarea), with very few works regarding topics such as associated fauna (Frith, 1976; Padua et al ., 2013a), symbiotic community (Santos et al ., 2010; Turque et al ., 2010; Fromont et al , 2015) and competition (Rützler, 1970; Sarà, 1970; Johnson, 1979; Bell & Barnes, 2003; Longo et al ., 2012; Cavalcanti et al ., 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploitation of micro refuges and epibiosis: survival strategies of a calcareous sponge

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sponges interact in various ways with a wide variety of organisms in benthic communities and ecological interactions may influence the distribution, abundance and diversity of these organisms in different sites. Although several studies have already been developed for Demospongiae, knowledge of ecological interactions in the class Calcarea is lacking. Some calcareous sponges are considered weak competitors for space and to have developed strategies to survive in highly dynamic environments, such as exploitation of micro refuges and epibiosis. We aimed to investigate the influence of intra- and interspecific interactions in the abundance, growth and lifespan of the calcareous sponge Clathrina aurea in south-eastern Brazil. Two peaks of abundance and area coverage were observed during the studied year, probably associated with reproductive effort. We found no evidence of intra- or interspecific competition between the sponge and the benthic community. Clathrina aurea was found using parts of other organisms as substrate (epibiosis), such as algae, demosponges and corals. It was seen that the interaction of the sponge with coral polyps positively affects the lifespan of sponge individuals and the interstices of corals probably promote a micro refuge for C. aurea against competitors for space and predators.

show abstract

“…For example, in some temperate and tropical regions more than 60% of sponge species were found to harbour photosymbionts from multiple different lineages (Steindler, Beer & Ilan, ; Lemloh et al, ). Photosymbiosis is found in four Porifera classes: Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, Homoscleromorpha, and Calcarea (Díaz & Ward, ; Díaz et al, ; Fromont et al, ). While most species generally establish photosymbiosis with cyanobacteria (Fig.…”

Section: Biodiversity Of Photosymbiosis In Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymorphic adaptations in metazoans to establish and maintain photosymbioses

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mutualistic symbioses are common throughout the animal kingdom. Rather unusual is a form of symbiosis, photosymbiosis, where animals are symbiotic with photoautotrophic organisms. Photosymbiosis is found among sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, molluscs, ascidians and even some amphibians. Generally the animal host harbours a phototrophic partner, usually a cyanobacteria or a unicellular alga. An exception to this rule is found in some sea slugs, which only retain the chloroplasts of the algal food source and maintain them photosynthetically active in their own cytosol - a phenomenon called 'functional kleptoplasty'. Research has focused largely on the biodiversity of photosymbiotic species across a range of taxa. However, many questions with regard to the evolution of the ability to establish and maintain a photosymbiosis are still unanswered. To date, attempts to understand genome adaptations which could potentially lead to the evolution of photosymbioses have only been performed in cnidarians. This knowledge gap for other systems is mainly due to a lack of genetic information, both for non-symbiotic and symbiotic species. Considering non-photosymbiotic species is, however, important to understand the factors that make symbiotic species so unique. Herein we provide an overview of the diversity of photosymbioses across the animal kingdom and discuss potential scenarios for the evolution of this association in different lineages. We stress that the evolution of photosymbiosis is probably based on genome adaptations, which (i) lead to recognition of the symbiont to establish the symbiosis, and (ii) are needed to maintain the symbiosis. We hope to stimulate research involving sequencing the genomes of various key taxa to increase the genomic resources needed to understand the most fundamental question: how have animals evolved the ability to establish and maintain a photosymbiosis?

show abstract

Characterization of Leucetta prolifera, a calcarean cyanosponge from south-western Australia, and its symbionts

Cited by 7 publications

References 56 publications

Sponges-Cyanobacteria associations: Global diversity overview and new data from the Eastern Mediterranean

Sponges-Cyanobacteria associations: Global diversity overview and new data from the Eastern Mediterranean

Exploitation of micro refuges and epibiosis: survival strategies of a calcareous sponge

Polymorphic adaptations in metazoans to establish and maintain photosymbioses

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About