Sponges host dense and diverse communities of microbes (known as the microbiome)
beneficial for the host nutrition and defense. Symbionts in turn receive shelter and …

Marine sponges have been successful in their expansion across diverse ecological niches
around the globe. Pioneering work attributed this success to both a well-developed …

Sponges possess exceptionally diverse associated microbial communities and play a major
role in (re) cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in marine ecosystems. Linking sponge …

The ability of organisms to combine autotrophy and heterotrophy gives rise to one of the
most successful nutritional strategies on Earth: mixotrophy. Sponges are integral members …

Sponges are unique among metazoans in their ability to use dissolved organic matter
(DOM), the largest pool of organic matter in the ocean, as a major food source. The effect of …

Marine sponges are critical components of marine benthic fauna assemblages, where their
filter-feeding and reef-building capabilities provide bentho-pelagic coupling and crucial …

Over the last two decades, sequencing-based methods have revolutionised our
understanding of niche-specific microbial complexity. In the lower female reproductive tract …

Seawater dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a large reservoir of carbon composed of a
complex and poorly characterized mixture of molecules. Sponges have long been known to …

Many marine sponges host highly diverse microbiomes that contribute to various aspects of
host health. Although the putative function of individual groups of sponge symbionts has …

The study of the whole of the genetic material contained within the microbial populations
found in a certain environment is made possible by metagenomics. This technique enables …