Meeting Abstract
P2.9 Friday, Jan. 4 Response of microbial symbiont communities and carotenoid profiles to environmental stressors in temperate sponges from the Chesapeake Bay. WEST, Brittany*; MCQUILLIN, Ashley; THOMSON, Giles; RAMBSBY, Blake; POPPELL, Ericka; HILL, April; HARRIOTT, Olivia; DATTLEBAUM, Jonathan; SHERMAN, Tim; HILL, Malcolm; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Fairfield Univeristy; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond; Univeristy of Richmond mhill2@richmond.edu
We monitored changes in microbial communities harbored by, and carotenoid profiles found in, two species of sponge (Clathria prolifera and Halichondria bowerbanki) from the Chesapeake Bay (Virginia, USA). We also describe several bacterial species isolated from larvae from each species. We followed annual changes in carotenoid profiles in C. prolifera and correlated these changes with water temperature. In a series of field and lab experiments, we exposed sponges to environmental stressors (UV and temperature) and correlated changes in carotenoid concentrations/composition with changes in microbial communities harbored by the sponges. Noticeable changes in the carotenoids present in the sponges were observed under the highest temperature treatments. Data will be presented describing the dynamic aspects of the microbial symbiont community as detected using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. A field experiment was conducted with C. prolifera during peak solar intensity in Virginia to determine whether changes in levels of ultraviolet radiation produced changes in carotenoid profiles. UV was found to influence carotenoid profiles in C. prolifera in complex ways. A diverse group of pigmented microbes were identified from larvae of these sponges. The phylogenetic position of some of these species will be presented as will their general chemistry. Our data indicate that the carotenoid make-up of these sponges is a plastic trait that responds to particular environmental factors and that symbiotic bacteria may influence this aspect of the sponge phenotype.
