Microbial Diversity of Marine Sponges

Hentschel, Ute; Fieseler, Lars; Wehrl, Markus; Gernert, Christine; Steinert, Michael; Hacker, Jörg; Horn, Matthias

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55519-0_3

Cited by 260 publications

(250 citation statements)

References 84 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

239

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…There are four notable exceptions with much fewer Plus-OTUs: Polymastia sp., Cymbastela coralliophila, Stylissa massa and Xestospongia sp. A possible explanation, at least for the first two mentioned sponges, is that they are low microbial abundance sponges that contain less diverse microbiota with a different compositional profile to high microbial abundance sponges (Hentschel et al, 2003;Kamke et al, 2010). The core bacterial community consists of only three 97%, eight 95% and 18 different 90% OTUs (Table 2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are ecologically important and a rich source of novel, biotechnologically relevant natural products. The association of some species with dense and complex microbial consortia has long been recognized (Vacelet 1975;Vacelet and Donadey 1977;Wilkinson et al, 1981) and these sponges were termed bacteriosponges or 'high microbial abundance' sponges to distinguish them from co-occurring sponges in the same habitat that lack dense microbial communities (which were thus termed 'low microbial abundance' sponges) (Reiswig 1981;Hentschel et al, 2003). In high microbial abundance sponges, microbes can comprise as much as 40% of the sponge biomass and represent a variety of different morphotypes (Vacelet 1975).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessing the complex sponge microbiota: core, variable and species-specific bacterial communities in marine sponges

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine sponges are well known for their associations with highly diverse, yet very specific and often highly similar microbiota. The aim of this study was to identify potential bacterial sub-populations in relation to sponge phylogeny and sampling sites and to define the core bacterial community. 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing was applied to 32 sponge species from eight locations around the world's oceans, thereby generating 2567 operational taxonomic units (OTUs at the 97% sequence similarity level) in total and up to 364 different OTUs per sponge species. The taxonomic richness detected in this study comprised 25 bacterial phyla with Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi and Poribacteria being most diverse in sponges. Among these phyla were nine candidate phyla, six of them found for the first time in sponges. Similarity comparison of bacterial communities revealed no correlation with host phylogeny but a tropical sub-population in that tropical sponges have more similar bacterial communities to each other than to subtropical sponges. A minimal core bacterial community consisting of very few OTUs (97%, 95% and 90%) was found. These microbes have a global distribution and are probably acquired via environmental transmission. In contrast, a large species-specific bacterial community was detected, which is represented by OTUs present in only a single sponge species. The species-specific bacterial community is probably mainly vertically transmitted. It is proposed that different sponges contain different bacterial species, however, these bacteria are still closely related to each other explaining the observed similarity of bacterial communities in sponges in this and previous studies. This global analysis represents the most comprehensive study of bacterial symbionts in sponges to date and provides novel insights into the complex structure of these unique associations.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the complex sponge microbiota: core, variable and species-specific bacterial communities in marine sponges

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, the phylum Chloroflexi was found only in young biofilms. This photoheterotrophic phylum is usually associated with sponges, corals, and filamentous biofilms (Hentschel et al, 2003;Okabe et al, 2005;Ishii et al, 2008;Apprill et al, 2009); some Chloroflexi have been reported to express antisettlement activity against H. elegans . The presence of these inhibitive strains may help to explain the low settlement inductiveness of the young biofilm extracts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial community succession and chemical profiles of subtidal biofilms in relation to larval settlement of the polychaete Hydroides elegans

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Earlier studies have shown that biofilms can mediate the larval settlement of the polychaete Hydroides elegans and that changes in the bacterial community structure and density of biofilms often alter the larval settlement response. However, the chemical cues that mediate this response remain unknown. In this study, both successional changes in the bacterial community structure and the chemical profiles of subtidal biofilms are described and related to the larval settlement response. Multispecies biofilms were developed on polystyrene Petri dishes and granite rock in the subtidal zone over a period of 20 days. The effects of the substratum and age on the bacterial community structure and chemical profiles of the biofilms were evaluated with two molecular methods (microarray (PhyloChip) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) and with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. Both age and substratum altered the bacterial community structures and chemical profiles of the biofilms. Age had a greater effect in shaping the bacterial community structure than did the substratum. In contrast, the type of substratum more strongly affected the chemical profile. Extracts of biofilms of different ages, which developed on different substrata, were tested for the settlement of H. elegans larvae. The extracts induced larval settlement in a biofilm-age-dependent manner, and extracts originating from different substrata of the same age showed no differences in larval settlement. Our results suggest that the larval settlement response cannot be predicted by the overall chemical composition of the biofilm alone.

show abstract

“…Accordingly, two general categories were identified that were termed "bacterial sponges" and "non-symbiont harboring, normal sponges" (Reiswig, 1981). Later on, the terms "low microbial abundance" (LMA) and "high microbial abundance" (HMA) sponges were coined to acknowledge the additional presence of archaea in sponge tissues (Hentschel et al, 2003). A typical HMA sponge contains 10 8 to 10 10 microorganisms/g sponge tissue, which can make up to 20%-35% of the sponge biomass (Reiswig, 1981;Webster et al, 2001;Hentschel et al, 2012); in contrast, only 10 5 to 10 6 bacteria/g sponge tissue are found in LMA sponges, which is roughly equivalent to the microbial abundances in seawater (Hentschel et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The HMA-LMA Dichotomy Revisited: an Electron Microscopical Survey of 56 Sponge Species

Gloeckner¹,

Wehrl²,

Moitinho‐Silva³

et al. 2014

The Biological Bulletin

201

206

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The dichotomy between high microbial abundance (HMA) and low microbial abundance (LMA) sponges has been long recognized. In the present study, 56 sponge species from three geographic regions (greater Caribbean, Mediterranean, Red Sea) were investigated by transmission electron microscopy for the presence of microorganisms in the mesohyl matrix. Additionally, bacterial enumeration by DAPI-counting was performed on a subset of samples. Of the 56 species investigated, 28 were identified as belonging to the HMA and 28 to the LMA category. The sponge orders Agelasida and Verongida consisted exclusively of HMA species, and the Poecilosclerida were composed only of LMA sponges. Other taxa contained both types of microbial associations (e.g., marine Haplosclerida, Homoscleromorpha, Dictyoceratida), and a clear phylogenetic pattern could not be identified. For a few sponge species, an intermediate microbial load was determined, and the microscopy data did not suffice to reliably determine HMA or LMA status. To experimentally determine the HMA or LMA status of a sponge species, we therefore recommend a combination of transmission electron microscopy and 16S rRNA gene sequence data. This study significantly expands previous reports on microbial abundances in sponge tissues and contributes to a better understanding of the HMA-LMA dichotomy in sponge-microbe symbioses.

show abstract

Microbial Diversity of Marine Sponges

Cited by 260 publications

References 84 publications

Assessing the complex sponge microbiota: core, variable and species-specific bacterial communities in marine sponges

Assessing the complex sponge microbiota: core, variable and species-specific bacterial communities in marine sponges

Bacterial community succession and chemical profiles of subtidal biofilms in relation to larval settlement of the polychaete Hydroides elegans

The HMA-LMA Dichotomy Revisited: an Electron Microscopical Survey of 56 Sponge Species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About