Meeting Abstract

P2.221  Saturday, Jan. 5  Symbiotic Microbial Communities Associated with Haplosclerid Sponges: Stability Across Space and Time ZAPPE, ME*; THACKER, RW; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham mzappe@uab.edu

Marine sponges can host a diverse set of symbiotic microbes, many of which may provide nutrients or critical physiological functions to the sponge in exchange for shelter and some of the sponge’s metabolites. Some of these interactions are obligate while others are facultative, raising questions about the evolution and maintenance of these interactions. For example, some sponge species may have co-evolved with a particular set of microbial symbionts; alternatively, the symbionts might simply be a representative sample of microbes found in the water column at the sponge’s location. We examined the bacterial communities associated with haplosclerid sponges collected from different locations in different years. Multiple samples of each of 15 species were examined, including: Haliclona manglaris, Haliclona maravillosa, Haliclona tubifera, Neopetrosia carbonaria, Neopetrosia rosariensis, Neopetrosia subtriangularis, Xestospongia bocatorensis, Xestospongia deweerdtae, Xestospongia muta, Xestospongia proxima, Xestospongia sp.1, and Xestospongia sp. 2. We used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLPs) to compare community fingerprints of the most abundant bacterial symbionts within and among species. Most sponges showed high community similarity within species, even when collected in different locations and in different years. This pattern supports a potential co-evolutionary relationship between sponges and their symbiotic bacterial communities.