Sponge Fauna Research Articles

Previously unknown diversity: the marine sponge (Porifera) fauna from Rio Grande do Norte State, NE Brazil

Previously unknown diversity: the marine sponge (Porifera) fauna from Rio Grande do Norte State, NE Brazil

Sponge abundance and diversity patterns in the shallow and mesophotic reefs of the northern Red Sea

Accumulating data on the increasing degradation of coral reefs worldwide has led to a focus on the unique mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE) as a potential refuge for threatened shallow-water species (i.e., the deep reef refugia hypothesis: DRRH). Sponges play a crucial role in coral-reef functioning but are often overlooked in benthic surveys. This knowledge gap is especially true for the Red Sea, where data on sponge abundance, coverage and species composition are scarce. Furthermore, to date, no study has examined mesophotic sponges in the Red Sea. Here we compared sponge abundance and diversity metrics between shallow and mesophotic reefs at two sites in the Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea. We also examined the role of biotic and abiotic parameters in determining sponge variability between sites and depths. Sponge diversity metrics significantly varied with increasing depth and between sites. Sponge species composition also differed significantly between depth and sites. However, parameters measured in the water column, that is, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Particulate Organic Carbon (POC), NOx, etc., did not differ between depths and sites, except for Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus concentration, which did. The findings indicated that site characteristics and biotic interactions may play an essential role in determining sponge diversity and community composition. Between-site differences in sponge fauna revealed in the study highlight the importance of considering the variability in the benthic communities and the factors controlling it when designing management tools for coral reefs, particularly for the northern Red Sea.

Identification and fatty acids composition of Xestospongia vansoesti and Aaptos suberitoides

Taxonomic identification is the most significant step in any research, and this is especially true of the sponge fauna. Two marine sponges were identified based on their morphology, skeleton, and spicules characteristics and the fatty acid composition was also studied for Xestospongia vansoesti and Aaptos suberitoides. In both species, the main saturated acids were 16:0 and 18:0. Saturated fatty acids C14-18 of iso /anteiso-structure were detected in both species with different percentages. The positional isomers of octadecenoic acid were the most common in both species with 6.78 % in Xestospongia vansoesti and 5.3% in Aaptos suberitoides. Two demospongic acids C25:2 Δ 5, 9 and C26:2 Δ 5, 9 were detected in both species and the percentage of 5,9-Hexacosadienoic acid in Aaptos suberitoides is high with 7.26% of the total fatty acids content. The characterization of 5,9-pentacosadienoic acid was achieved based on the MS spectra to confirm the presence of demospongic acids in both species.

First Survey of the Sponge Community of a Semi-Submerged Marine Cave along the Adriatic Apulian Coast

Mediterranean marine caves have been categorized as both biodiversity reservoirs and vulnerable habitats. However, only a few studies have focused on Porifera assemblages within marine caves along the Adriatic Apulian coast (southern Italy). In this study, the sponge fauna of the Rondinella cave, a semi-submerged marine cave along the coast of Bari (Southern Adriatic Sea), was investigated for the first time. The use of advanced image analysis in combination with targeted sampling has made it possible to determine the spatial distribution and diversity of Porifera along a transect from the entrance to the end of the cave. Data analysis clustered the stations into two groups, separated according to the distance from the entrance and corresponding to the cave entrance and the semi-dark zone. Sponges were found at all stations covering a considerable part of the substrate, with the highest cover values occurring in the semi-dark zone. A total of 54 sponge taxa were identified: 49 Demospongiae, 3 Homoscleromorpha, and 2 Calcarea. Six species are new records for the Apulian marine caves, one species represents a new record for marine caves, and two species are new findings for the southern Adriatic Sea.

Filling gaps in the Webbnesia marine diversity: The madeiran sponge fauna

Despite few pioneering works in the late XIX and early XX century, the poriferan fauna of Madeira has remained mostly unexplored until today, Madeira being one of the least studied eastern Atlantic archipelagos in terms of its sponge diversity. After a thorough analysis of both new material collected by SCUBA diving as well as a literature research, 140 sponge species are known to occur in the Madeira archipelago. From the 56 species identified by both collected material and pictures, approximately 60% (34 species) are new records for the Archipelago. These 34 new records were found associated with littoral rocky substrates and, to a lesser extent, caves, rhodolith beds and wrecks, within a depth range of 10–35 m depth. Our records also contain several Mediterranean species that have not been previously recorded in the North Atlantic, several North-east Atlantic species whose presence in Madeira marks their southernmost limit of occurrence, as well as elements from the subtropical West African fauna. Amongst the new additions to its sponge fauna there are the first records of Homomscleromorpha, with at least three Oscarella species noted, as well as a new species of Hemimycale (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida). Yet, this is still an underestimation of Madeira's real sponge diversity. Data on Madeiran sponge fauna is still skewed towards shallow and littoral habitats, with other less accessible environments, such as caves, rhodolith beds or the deep sea, remaining largely unexplored. Similarly, complex poriferan groups (e.g. calcareans, haplosclerids, tetractinellids, hymedesmids) have only been partially studied, and their true diversity remains unknown. Finally, due to a lack of prior baseline it is difficult to conclude if some newly recorded species are non-indigenous, range-expanding or simply previously overlooked native species. However, it is now clear that two previously thought non-indigenous species, Mycale (Carmia) senegalensis and Prosuberites longispinus are in fact native to the Archipelago, their prior status as non-indigenous arising from the lack of prior confirmation of their presence outside of port facilities.

Taxonomic Investigations on Cladorhizidae (Carnivorous Sponges) of the East Scotia Ridge (Antarctica) with the Description of Three New Species

This study investigates taxonomic characteristics of carnivorous sponges from the Southern Ocean. The specimens were collected in 2010 from deep-sea hydrothermal vents of the East Scotia Ridge during the RRS James Cook Cruise JC42. All the investigated sponges are new to science. They belong to the genera Abyssocladia and Cladorhiza within the family Cladorhizidae. This study provides descriptions and remarks for the three new species Abyssocladia truespacemeni, Abyssocladia hendrixii and Cladorhiza elsaae. Comparative faunistic and ecological aspects of these sponge genera within the Southern Ocean sponge fauna are discussed. The genera Abyssocladia and Cladorhiza are recorded here for the first time from the ecosystem around hydrothermal vents in the Antarctic deep sea. The descriptions of new species contribute to and expand the current knowledge of the Cladorhizidae and consequently support future taxonomic identifications and descriptions of Antarctic deep-sea carnivorous sponges. The appearance of these newly discovered species underlines the hypothesis that Cladorhizidae is the second most species-rich family of Demospongiae in the Southern Ocean, and many new species of this deep-sea sponge family are still to be discovered.

From caves to seamounts: the hidden diversity of tetractinellid sponges from the Balearic Islands, with the description of eight new species

The sponge fauna of the Western Mediterranean stands as one of the most studied in the world. Yet sampling new habitats and a poorly studied region like the Balearic Islands highlights once again our limited knowledge of this group of animals. This work focused on demosponges of the order Tetractinellida collected in several research surveys (2016–2021) on a variety of ecosystems of the Balearic Islands, including shallow caves, seamounts and trawl fishing grounds, in a broad depth range (0–725 m). Tetractinellid material from the North Atlantic and more than twenty type specimens were also examined and, for some, re-described in this work. All species were barcoded with the traditional molecular markers COI (Folmer fragment) and 28S (C1-C2 or C1-D2 fragment). A total of 36 species were identified, mostly belonging to the family Geodiidae (15 species), thereby bringing the number of tetractinellids recorded in the Balearic Islands from 15 to 39. Eight species from this study are new: Stelletta mortarium sp. nov., Penares cavernensis sp. nov., Penares isabellae sp. nov., Geodia bibilonae sp. nov., Geodia microsphaera sp. nov. and Geodia matrix sp. nov. from the Balearic Islands; Geodia phlegraeioides sp. nov. and Caminus xavierae sp. nov. from the North East Atlantic. Stelletta dichoclada and Erylus corsicus are reported for the first time since their description in Corsica in 1983. Pachastrella ovisternata is documented for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, after comparisons of type material, we propose new synonymies: Geodia anceps as a junior synonym of Geodia geodina, Erylus cantabricus as a junior synonym of Erylus discophorus and Spongosorites maximus as a junior synonym of Characella pachastrelloides.

Sponges and their prokaryotic communities sampled from a remote karst ecosystem

Marine karst ecosystems exist at the land-sea interface and are characterised by underwater formations sculpted over time by the action of seawater. Submerged caves and crevices of these ecosystems host a rich array of marine life of which sponges are among the most abundant and diverse components. In the present study, we describe elements of the sponge fauna sampled from a unique karst ecosystem at a remote island, Orchid Island, off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. The present study includes several understudied sponge taxa, including sclerosponges (Acanthochaetetes wellsi, and Astrosclera willeyana) and several lithistid species from dark, shallow-water caves. Prokaryotic communities were obtained from a total of 22 demosponge species, of which 11 are potentially new to science. The tetracladinid, lithistids harboured prokaryotic communities, which clustered separately from all other sponge species, contrasting with the non-tetracladinid, lithistid Vetulina incrustans. The tetracladinid, lithistids, furthermore, formed two distinct clusters with species of the Spirophorina suborder clustering apart from those of the Astrophorina suborder. The sclerosponge A. wellsi also harboured a distinct prokaryotic community in terms of composition including five unique, abundant OTUs with relatively low sequence similarities to organisms in GenBank. All cave sponges were enriched with SAR202 members, a group of bacteria known for their role in the degradation of recalcitrant compounds. The highest relative abundance of SAR202 was found in A. wellsi. We propose that the cave sponges of Orchid Island may play an as-yet uncharted role in nutrient dynamics at the land-sea interface.

Molecular genetic biodiversity assessment of the Wallis Island sponge fauna in the Tropical Pacific

Abstract Polynesia is a hotspot for marine biodiversity in the South Pacific Ocean, yet the distribution of many invertebrate taxa in this region is still often poorly assessed. Information on the diversity and phylogeography of sponges in particular remains limited in spite of their importance for coral reef ecosystems. Recent expeditions to the island group of Wallis and Futuna enabled the first larger-scale assessment of the Wallis Island sponge fauna, resulting in the molecular identification of 82 unique Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) from 339 sponge samples based on 28S C-region rDNA and CO1 mtDNA data. Faunal comparisons with both adjacent archipelagos and more distant Indo-Pacific regions were predominantly based on the MOTUs obtained from Wallis Island ecoregions, and suggest high levels of endemism of sponges in Wallis and Futuna, corroborating previous data on the biodiversity of sponges and other marine phyla in the South Pacific. The results of this molecular taxonomic survey of the Wallis and Futuna sponge fauna aim to lay solid foundations for a sustainable ‘Blue Economy’ in Wallis and Futuna for the conservation of their local coral reefs.

An exploratory study of sponges, sponge-associated, and planktonic prokaryotic communities in an artificial coral reef environment

Abstract In the present study, we assessed the sponge fauna, sponge-associated, and planktonic prokaryotic communities residing in Burgers' Zoo Ocean aquarium, Arnhem, the Netherlands. The Ocean aquarium consisted of separate displays and life support systems, and included fish-only systems in addition to a large, 750,000 L tank containing a living, tropical coral reef ecosystem. Sponges were observed throughout the aquarium system and were identified as belonging to the genera Chalinula, Chondrilla, Chondrosia, Cinachyrella, Stylissa, Suberites and Tethya. There was a highly significant difference in composition between sponge-associated and planktonic prokaryotic communities. The tanks in which the sponges were sampled appeared to have a secondary structural effect on prokaryotic composition with sponges and water from the same tanks sharing several microorganisms. Both sponge-associated and planktonic prokaryotic communities housed prokaryotic taxa, which were highly similar to microorganisms previously recorded in sponges or coral reef environments, including taxa potentially involved in nitrification, denitrification, sulphur oxidation, and antibiotic biosynthesis. Several abundant microorganisms were only recorded in sponges and these may play a role in maintaining water quality in the aquarium system. Potential pathogens, e.g. related to Photobacterium damselae, and beneficial organisms, e.g. related to Pseudovibrio denitrificans, were also detected. The present study showed that Burgers' Zoo Ocean aquarium housed diverse free-living and host-associated prokaryotic communities. Future research should focus on identifying conditions and microbial communities conducive to a healthy aquarium environment.

Miocene sponge assemblages in the face of the Messinian Salinity Crisis-new data from the Atlanto-Mediterranean seaway.

The Messinian Salinity Crisis is considered as one of the most influential Cenozoic events that impacted negatively on the benthic fauna of the Mediterranean area. Changing environmental conditions, including a sharp reduction of water exchange between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, altered the geographical ranges of many organisms, including sponges (Porifera). Here, we report a unique assemblage of isolated sponge spicules from the upper Miocene of southwestern Spain. The newly recognized sponge fauna was inhabiting the Guadalquivir Basin-the corridor between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean at that time. It represents a taxonomically rich sponge community that consisted of members of "soft" and "lithistid" demosponges and hexactinellids. Demosponges are represented by at least thirty-four taxa, while hexactinellids are significantly rarer; only six taxa have been identified. From among eighteen taxa recognized to the species level, at least eight seem to be inhabiting this area to these days; six are recorded from adjacent areas, such as the Western Mediterranean, South European Atlantic Shelf, and the Azores, and three are present in the Red Sea and/or the Northern Atlantic. Intriguingly, some taxa seem to have their closest relatives in distant areas, such as the Indo-Pacific and Japanese waters which suggests that the range of some once widely-distributed populations shrunk after the isolation of the Mediterranean and the Messinian Salinity Crisis, surviving to the present day only in refugia.

Paleosalinity of the Nanhua Basin (South China) during the Cambrian Explosion

Similar to marine oxygen level and nutrient supply, seawater salinity has also been suggested as an important control on marine biological evolution. However, the potential links between the seawater salinity and Cambrian Explosion remain unclear. Here, we conducted high-resolution analyses of B/Ga and B/K ratios on four typical sections from different water-depth environments to constrain the paleosalinity in the Nanhua Basin (South China) from late Age 2 to Age 3 (~526–515 Ma). Our new data revealed common hypersaline conditions at shallow-water Meishucun (B/Ga = 13.8 ± 2.3 and B/K = 73.5 ± 15.7) and Wangjiaping (B/Ga = 20.6 ± 2.7 and B/K = 101.1 ± 17.1) locales during most of the period from late Age 2 to Age 3. In contrast, combined with the deep-water data in a recent study, middle- to deep-water environments were dominated by brackish to normal seawater salinity, as documented at Zhijin (B/Ga = 8.0 ± 1.1 and B/K = 48.2 ± 4.5), Daotuo (B/Ga = 6.4 ± 1.6 and B/K = 57.6 ± 12.3), Yuanjia (B/Ga = 4.3 ± 2.7), and Zhalagou (B/Ga = 6.1 ± 1.2) locales. Notably, two transient low-salinity intervals (LS1 and LS2) developed in shallow-water regions at ~526 Ma and ~ 518 Ma, respectively, because of increased freshwater inputs, during which the watermass salinity may be inhabitable for early faunas. Combined with previous redox studies, however, transient shallow-water anoxia at ~525 Ma allowed only the development of hypoxia-tolerant sponge faunas during LS1, indicating redox constrains on the early biological evolution. Additionally, although studies indicated rapid oceanic oxygenation within the hypersaline interval between LS1 and LS2, no important biotas occurred at this hypersaline interval, indicating hypersalinity restriction on metazoan diversification. Instead, when normal seawater salinity and oxic watermass were jointly formed during LS2 (~518 Ma), the Chengjiang and Qingjiang biotas experienced notable explosion. Therefore, the influences of the seawater salinity on early life evolution should be given more attention in the future.

Poriferans rift apart: molecular demosponge biodiversity in Central and French Polynesia and comparison with adjacent marine provinces of the Central Indo-Pacific

The distribution of marine sponges in the tropical Southwest Pacific Ocean is largely unexplored despite the vital ecological role of sponges in coral reefs and their value as sources of metabolites for drug design. Several collection campaigns to the French Polynesian archipelagos (Society, Marquesas, Tuamotu, Gambier, and Austral) were conducted to assess the bio- and chemodiversity of the island groups. In the course of these scientific expeditions, more than 200 identified sponge specimens were acquired, for which we were able to assign 102 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs). Based on these MOTUs, we assessed, in the largest analysis of its kind for this area to date, the sponge composition and faunistic overlaps of the marine province Southeast Polynesia with Marquesas and Central Polynesia. We also compared the sponge fauna of these Eastern Indo-Pacific provinces with marine provinces of the adjacent Central Indo-Pacific realm. Our findings corroborate that sponge faunal similarity within marine realms is higher than among realms, and follows the marine barriers to gene flow observed for other taxa. We detected high levels of provincial endemism for marine sponges, consistent with findings from other Indo-Pacific regions. At the level of province, geographical distance and ocean surface currents influence faunal similarity, and constitute the primary factors for the connectivity of sponge faunas between the disjunct and remote island groups in the tropical Southwest Pacific Ocean.

Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge

Submerged and semi-submerged marine caves are considered a European habitat of Community Interest as they preserve one of the most important biodiversity heritages in the Mediterranean and serve as refugia for endemic and/or “relict” species. Among sessile benthic taxa, caves represent significant reservoirs of sponge species richness and are well representative of the entire poriferan Mediterranean fauna. In order to assess the current knowledge of sponge species in marine caves along the Apulian coast, this study gathered data from the available literature (national and international scientific publications and grey literature) with original data, surveying 26 marine caves in the area. A total of 145 Porifera species were reported in marine caves on the Apulian coast, including 117 in the Tremiti archipelago, 33 along the Adriatic coast of Bari and 73 along the Salento Peninsula. Original data includes new records for nine species in the Corvine cave, two in the Murene cave and one in the Zinzulusa cave. Our results suggest that marine cave communities along the Apulian coast are not uniformly surveyed, being the caves of the Tremiti Islands and those of the Salento Peninsula among the best studied, while large stretches of the regional coast, although particularly rich in marine caves, are poorly investigated for their sponge fauna.

Coupling of the recovery of earliest Silurian sponges and ocean redox conditions: Evidence from South China

Many aspects of the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) aftermath and recovery have been puzzling due to heterogeneities in tempo and triggering mechanisms. Benthic fossil groups, which are the most severely affected by oxidative stress, offer the best opportunities for understanding both biological and ecological recovery after the LOME. In recent studies, deep-water sponge assemblages (which may have had high physiological tolerance to oxygen deviations) have been reported widely across South China in the immediate aftermath of the extinction interval. In order to further explore the lateral and temporal distributions of sponges, and ecological effects of benthic recovery during this critical interval, this study presents new Llandovery sponge assemblages recovered from two sections in Hunan Province, South China, accompanied by geochemical analyses. The sponge communities are preserved by pyritic spicule replacements and shows a relatively deep-water affinity (estimated around 60–150 m in depth) comparable to several previously reported assemblages in South China, and consistent with the observed graptolite ecology. Geochemical analysis of total organic carbon (TOC) and major and trace element composition in both sections show similar trends, indicating a shift in redox state of the bottom-water from persistent anoxia or intermittent euxinia in the earliest Rhuddanian, becoming oxygenated in the early Aeronian. Based on the present study and previous biological and geochemical data from South China, the distribution of early Silurian sponge assemblages in South China demonstrates a gradual expansion towards deeper regions when ocean redox conditions ameliorated. This study confirms the continuity of the end-Ordovician sponge faunas and taxa, both laterally across South China, and temporally through the early Silurian. The pioneering colonization of sponges in low-oxygen environments after the LOME may have set the stage for the subsequent recovery of other benthic organisms.

The oldest trilobites in Cambria: Early Cambrian trilobite faunas from the Llanberis Slates Formation, Gwynedd, North Wales

Historical published works on the fossil fauna of the Llanberis Slates Formation in Gwynedd, North Wales, concentrated on the endemic trilobite Pseudatops viola (Woodward, 1888), and placed the formation towards the top of Stage 3 (Series 2) of the Cambrian chronostratigraphy.The impression given was that the fauna is not particularly diverse and fossils are rare. However, recent collecting has produced a comprehensive fauna of sponges, hyolithids and diverse arthropods including over 250 trilobite specimens from two localities of the uppermost Green Slate horizon. Among them are examples of the endemic trilobite Pseudatops viola, sufficiently well preserved to enable a reappraisal of its status. The most abundant trilobite is a form of Strenuella (cf. strenua), but the collection includes previously unrecorded eodiscoid trilobites and specimens representing unrecorded and potentially new taxa. These additions result in the most comprehensive lower Cambrian trilobite assemblage yet described from Wales, and place it in the lower part of Stage 4, Series 2 in standard global terms.

A checklist of the southwestern Madagascar sponge fauna with taxonomic updates based on the current systematics

Sponges are important components of coral reefs with diverse ecological roles. They can be dominant in certain ecosystems of the western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, but their biodiversity remains poorly studied. Most of the knowledge from this region originates from studies conducted 50 years ago in the South Western (SW) region of Madagascar, near Toliara, prior to the degradation of coral reefs and associated ecosystems caused by large environmental disturbances. Here, a reference list is presented including all sponge species that were recorded at that time in different marine habitats of Toliara. This state-of-the-art work includes taxonomic updates. So far, the sponge fauna of Toliara accounts for 267 species, belonging to 3 classes, 23 orders and 68 families, a remarkable diversity when compared to other tropical locations. More than 50 % of the past taxonomic names needed to be updated and with this new baseline it will be possible to allow assessment of long-term changes in sponge biodiversity in relation to environmental stressor changes that have occurred in the SW of Madagascar during the last 50 years.

Sponge Fauna of Lake Baikal in the Monitoring System: Six Years of Observations

Sponge Fauna of Lake Baikal in the Monitoring System: Six Years of Observations

A morphological guide of neotropical freshwater sponge spicules for paleolimnological studies

Freshwater sponges (Porifera: Spongillida) are sessile invertebrates with skeletons composed of siliceous elements termed spicules. Sponge spicules (megascleres, microscleres, and gemmuloscleres) are characterized by widely varying sizes and shapes. These spicules are well-preserved in lacustrine, wetland, and riverine sediments and hold significant ecological and limnological information that can be applied as diagnostic tools in reconstructions of Quaternary environments. However, problems with taxonomy and the absence of systematic guidelines and standards of identification represent major challenges to utilizing freshwater sponges as a paleo-proxy. Here, we present a well-illustrated extraction protocol and morphological guide to the Neotropical freshwater sponge fauna. This guide is intended to introduce researchers and students to the study of freshwater sponges and their use as a diagnostic tool in paleoecology and paleolimnology.

Sponge fauna of Lake Baikal in the monitoring system for six years of observations

Sponge fauna of Lake Baikal in the monitoring system for six years of observations