Sponge-associated bacteria are strictly maintained in two closely related but geographically distant sponge hosts.

ABSTRACT: The giant barrel sponges Xestospongia muta and Xestospongia testudinaria are ubiquitous in tropical reefs of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, respectively. They are key species in their respective environments and are hosts to diverse assemblages of bacteria. These two closely related sponges from different oceans provide a unique opportunity to examine the evolution of sponge-associated bacterial communities. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene sequences from X. muta and X. testudinaria showed little divergence between the two species. A detailed analysis of the bacterial communities associated with these sponges, comprising over 900 full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed remarkable similarity in the bacterial communities of the two species. Both sponge-associated commu

SUBMITTER: Montalvo NF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3194858 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature