Sponge microbiomes

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Sponge microbiomes are diverse communities of microorganisms in symbiotic association with marine sponges as their hosts.^[1] These microorganisms include bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, among others.^[2] The sponges have the ability to filter seawater and recycle nutrients while providing a safe habitat to many microorganisms, which provide the sponge host with fixed nitrogen and carbon, and stimulates the immune system.^[2][3]

Besides one to one symbiotic relationships, it is possible for a host to become symbiotic with a microbial consortium, resulting in a diverse sponge microbiome. Sponges are able to host a wide range of microbial communities that can also be very specific. The microbial communities that form a symbiotic relationship with the sponge can amount to as much as 35% of the biomass of its host.^[4] The sponge as well as the microbial community associated with it will produce a large range of secondary metabolites that help protect it against predators through mechanisms such as chemical defense.^[5]

The term for this specific symbiotic relationship, where a microbial consortia pairs with a host is called a holobiotic relationship. So together, a sponge and its microbiome form a holobiont, with a single sponge often containing more than 40 bacterial phyla, making sponge microbial environments a diverse and dense community.^[1][6][7] Furthermore, individual holobionts work hand in hand with other near holobionts becoming a nested ecosystem, affecting the environment at multiple scales.^[2]

Some of these relationships include endosymbionts within bacteriocyte cells, and cyanobacteria or microalgae found below the pinacoderm cell layer where they are able to receive the highest amount of light, used for phototrophy. They can host over 50 different microbial phyla and candidate phyla, including Alphaprotoebacteria, Actinomycetota, Chloroflexota, Nitrospirota, "Cyanobacteria", the taxa Gamma-, the candidate phylum Poribacteria, and Thaumarchaea.^[5]