Marine Sponge: Sponge-Bacteria Association: Difference between revisions

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===Type of Sponges===
===Type of Sponges===
[[Image:Stove-pipe Sponge Aplysina archeri.jpg|thumb|Pipe Sponge Aplysina archeri|200px|right|From Karsten Zengler]]


==Current Research==
==Current Research==

Revision as of 21:07, 28 August 2008

Marine Sponges

Overview of Marine Sponges

Marine sponges are natural bath sponges (with living cells removed) that we all are familiar with. They actually are the oldest and simplest animals that have been living on earth for billions of years. There are various types of sponges under Phylum PORIFERA. They grow in every ocean in the world regardless of extreme temperatures. They can be found hundreds of meters under sea level but mostly are found in 5-50 meters deep. Marine sponges are filter-feeding animals because all adult sponges are sessile and can’t move around benthic surface. For approximately 20 centimeters sponge can filter up to 2000 liters of seawater during one day. Marine sponges have no true tissues or organs, just constructed with layers of cells even without nervous system. Inside the sponge, the vibration of ciliates, the special cells circulate seawater through small pores and absorb planktons and small sea organisms. (1)

Marine sponges come in different but striking colors, bright red, purple, yellow, and brown, etc. These colors and some are toxic as well may help them defend from sponge eating invertebrates and some fishes. Some other small marine organisms, fishes, and microscopic organisms often call marine sponges their homes. Sponges often have skeleton of spicules, which protect and give refuge to small invertebrates from other marine scavengers. (2)

Living Conditions/Locations

Sponges

Adjacent Communities

Microbes

Diversity

Sponge-Microbe Association

Microbial Metabolism of Sponges

Mutualism/Commensalism

Pathogens/Parasites

Interactions with Other Organisms

Chart

Photos Stove-pipe Sponge Aplysina archeri.jpg File:Branchingtube.jpg GiantBarrel.jpg File:Worms 01.jpg
Name Aplysina Branching tube
Location Caribbean and Mediterranean
Color sulfur-yellow but can be tinged toward green or red

Type of Sponges

From Karsten Zengler

Current Research

1. ITS-2 and 18S rRNA Gene Phylogeny of Aplysinidae (Verongida,Demospngiae), 2004

In order to identify the genus-level for sponges(Porifera) taxonomy, the researchers have been using their characteristics such as spicules and sponging fibers. However, it became noticeable that having a precise taxonomical classification of the Porifera was difficult especially if sponges were being identify only by using their morphological features. Therefore, this research was conducted to investigate if there is any other way to have a get a clear genus-level of different sponges. It revealed that matching up 18S ribosomal DNA and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) full length sequences to certain marine sponge sequence can be used to build phylogenetic trees to arrange based on secondary structure. For this experiment, different sponges were analyzed such as eleven Aplysina sponges and three additional sponges (Cerongula gigantean, Aiolochroia crassa, Smenospongia aurea) from different location such as tropical and sub-tropical oceans. The results concluded that Aplysinais from a single common ancestor and stands at a basal position in both 18S and ITS-2 trees. The problem with this method is that the molecular data come out differently from the current taxonomy that was structured based on morphological characteristics. Therefore, the future research is to reevaluate the sponges as more 18S sequences become available.

References

(1) www.zitak.hr/sponge.htm

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5) Schmitt, Susanne, Ute Hentschel, Steven Zea, Thomas Dandekar, and Matthias Wolf. "ITS-2 and 18S rRNA Gene Phylogeny of Aplysinidae (Verongida, Demospongiae)." Molecular Evolution 60(2004):327-336.