Marine sponges are able to process a variety of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P),
and silicon (Si) dissolved compounds, in addition to the particulate C, N, and P obtained …

The earliest evolution of the animals remains a taxing biological problem, as all extant
clades are highly derived and the fossil record is not usually considered to be helpful. The …

Ever since Darwin's early descriptions of coral reefs, scientists have debated how one of the
world's most productive and diverse ecosystems can thrive in the marine equivalent of a …

Coral reefs across the world have been seriously degraded and have a bleak future in
response to predicted global warming and ocean acidification (OA). However, this is not the …

Sponges are the oldest known extant animal-microbe symbiosis. These ubiquitous benthic
animals play an important role in marine ecosystems in the cycling of dissolved organic …

Coastal countries have traditionally relied on the existing marine resources (eg, fishing,
food, transport, recreation, and tourism) as well as tried to support new economic endeavors …

Shallow warm-water and deep-sea cold-water corals engineer the coral reef framework and
fertilize reef communities by releasing coral mucus, a source of reef dissolved organic matter …

Corals and macroalgae release large quantities of dissolved organic matter (DOM), one of
the largest sources of organic matter produced on coral reefs. By rapidly taking up DOM and …

With the decline of reef-building corals on tropical reefs, sponges have emerged as an
important component of changing coral reef ecosystems. Seemingly simple, sponges are …

Cold-water coral reefs and sponge grounds are deep-sea biological hotspots, equivalent to
shallow-water tropical coral reefs. In tropical ecosystems, biodiversity and productivity are …