Sponges are sessile filter-feeders that can process vast amounts of water and are known to influence the chemistry of the surrounding seawater. There has been limited work however to understand the extent to which sponges alter dissolved organic matter (DOM), yet in areas where sponges are abunda...

The marine microbiome contributes to nearly half of our planet’s net primary production. It plays a central role in the ocean’s carbon cycle through both passive and active release of metabolites into seawater, forming a pool of dissolved compounds known as the marine exometabolome.