On the way to specificity - Microbiome reflects sponge genetic cluster primarily in highly structured populations.

ABSTRACT: Most animals, including sponges (Porifera), have species-specific microbiomes. Which genetic or environmental factors play major roles structuring the microbial community at the intraspecific level in sponges is, however, largely unknown. In this study, we tested whether geographic location or genetic structure of conspecific sponges influences their microbial assembly. For that, we used three sponge species with different rates of gene flow, and collected samples along their entire distribution range (two from the Mediterranean and one from the Southern Ocean) yielding a total of 393 samples. These three sponge species have been previously analysed by microsatellites or single nucleotide polymorphisms, and here we investigate their microbiomes by amplicon sequencing of the microbial 16S r

SUBMITTER: Diez-Vives C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7756592 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature