REIBER, C.L.; University of Nevada,Las Vegas: Integrated hypoxic response: From the gene to behavior Appropriate ontogeny of physiological regulatory mechanisms is critical for an animal’s ability to deal with environmental variables encountered at different developmental stages and varying periods during their life cycle. Selective pressures can be encountered at any point during an animal’s embryonic, […]

W�RHEIDE, G; SOL�-CAVA, A M; GZG Geobiology, Univ. of G�ttingen, Germany; Inst. Biologia, Univ. Fed. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: What do genetic markers tell about sponge populations that we do not already know? Molecular markers have transformed our understanding of processes acting at the population level in marine invertebrates, including sponges. Due to the high […]

ENTICKNAP, J.J.; PERAUD, O.; LOHR, J.E.; HAMANN, M.T.; HILL, R.T.*; Center of Marine Biotechology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute: The Diversity of Microbes Associated with Sponges: New Approaches to an Old Mystery It has long been known that sponges contain microbial symbionts and was demonstrated four decades ago that microbes can comprise 50% of the […]

SHIRLEY A., Pomponi; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc.: Sponges as Chemical Factories Marine sponges are known to produce thousands of biologically active natural products with potential as pharmaceuticals and other bioproducts. These secondary metabolites encompass a broad variety of chemical classes with bioactivity known to date in cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. […]

THIEL, V.; W�RHEIDE, G.; BLUMENBERG, M.; PAPE, T.; MICHAELIS, W.; University of G�ttingen, Germany; University of G�ttingen, Germany; University of Hamburg, Germany; University of Hamburg, Germany; University of Hamburg, Germany: Lipid biomarkers: an unconventional approach to resolve sponge interclass relationships During the last decade, molecular techniques have contributed significantly to understanding sponge phylogeny. However, conflicting […]

LEYS, S.P.*; EERKES-MEDRANO, D.I.; The University of Alberta, AB; University of Victoria, BC: Gastrulation in the calcareous sponge Sycon Haeckel�s studies of development in the calcareous sponge Sycon (1872) led him to develop the �Gastraea Theory�, which proposes that during the development of all metazoans, including sponges, gastrulation occurs by invagination to produce a functional […]

THACKER, R.W.; University of Alabama, Birmingham: Field Manipulations of Sponge Symbioses: Differences Between Generalist and Host-Specific Cyanobacteria The marine sponges Lamellodysidea herbacea and L. chlorea contain large populations of the host-specific, filamentous cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae. Other marine sponges, including Xestospongia exigua, contain generalist, unicellular cyanobacteria, Synechococcus spp. Symbiotic cyanobacteria may benefit their host sponges by […]

MALDONADO, Manuel; Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes: Ecological and evolutionary roles of the larval stage of the porifera: a new perspective The poriferan larva is often seen as an evolutionary acquisition of the sessile Porifera, needed for dispersal and selective settlement. This view contradicts the fact that sponge larvae are not known to have […]

MCCLINTOCK, James B.; AMSLER, Charles D.; BAKER, Bill J.; VAN SOEST, Robert; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of South Florida; University of the Netherlands: The Ecology of Antarctic Marine Sponges Sponges are dominant components of marine communities surrounding the continental shelf of Antarctica. High in terms of species diversity […]

JANUSSEN, Dorte; Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg: Sponges in deep water: A key to success Deep-sea research utilizing hyperbenthic sampling devices has revealed unexpected high densities and diversity of sponges, and many of the recently collected deep-sea sponges are new species. Selected case studies in the Antarctic, North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea show that this is […]