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Bell JJ, Strano F, Broadribb M, Wood G, Harris B, Resende AC, Novak E, Micaroni V. Sponge functional roles in a changing world. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2023; 95:27-89. [PMID: 37923539 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Sponges are ecologically important benthic organisms with many important functional roles. However, despite increasing global interest in the functions that sponges perform, there has been limited focus on how such functions will be impacted by different anthropogenic stressors. In this review, we describe the progress that has been made in our understanding of the functional roles of sponges over the last 15 years and consider the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on these roles. We split sponge functional roles into interactions with the water column and associations with other organisms. We found evidence for an increasing focus on functional roles among sponge-focused research articles, with our understanding of sponge-mediated nutrient cycling increasing substantially in recent years. From the information available, many anthropogenic stressors have the potential to negatively impact sponge pumping, and therefore have the potential to cause ecosystem level impacts. While our understanding of the importance of sponges has increased in the last 15 years, much more experimental work is required to fully understand how sponges will contribute to reef ecosystem function in future changing oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - Francesca Strano
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Manon Broadribb
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Gabriela Wood
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Ben Harris
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Anna Carolina Resende
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Emma Novak
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Valerio Micaroni
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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2
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Broad A, Rees M, Knott N, Swadling D, Hammond M, Ingleton T, Morris B, Davis AR. Anchor scour from shipping and the defaunation of rocky reefs: A quantitative assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 863:160717. [PMID: 36528099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Anchor scour from shipping is increasingly recognised as a global threat to benthic marine biodiversity, yet no replicated ecological assessment exists for any seabed community. Without quantification of impacts to biota, there is substantial uncertainty for maritime stakeholders and managers of the marine estate on how these impacts can be managed or minimised. Our study focuses on a region in SE Australia with a high proportion of mesophotic reef (>30 m), where ships anchor while waiting to enter nearby ports. Temperate mesophotic rocky reefs are unique, providing a platform for a diversity of biota, including sponges, ahermatypic corals and other sessile invertebrates. They are rich in biodiversity, provide essential food resources, habitat refugia and ecosystem services for a range of economically, as well as ecologically important taxa. We examined seven representative taxa from four phyla (porifera, cnidaria, bryozoan, hydrozoa) across anchored and 'anchor-free' sites to determine which biota and which of their morphologies were most at risk. Using stereo-imagery, we assessed the richness of animal forest biota, morphology, size, and relative abundance. Our analysis revealed striking impacts to animal forests exposed to anchoring with between three and four-fold declines in morphotype richness and relative abundance. Marked compositional shifts, relative to those reefs that were anchor-free, were also apparent. Six of the seven taxonomic groups, most notably sponge morphotypes, exhibited strong negative responses to anchoring, while one morphotype, soft bryozoans, showed no difference between treatments. Our findings confirm that anchoring on reefs leads to the substantial removal of biota, with marked reductions of biodiversity and requires urgent management. The exclusion of areas of high biological value from anchorages is an important first step towards ameliorating impacts and promoting the recovery of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Broad
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Matthew Rees
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Nathan Knott
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Daniel Swadling
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Matthew Hammond
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Marine Ecosystem Unit, Fisheries Research, 89, Huskisson, NSW 2540, Australia
| | - Tim Ingleton
- Waters, Wetlands and Coasts, New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Bradley Morris
- Waters, Wetlands and Coasts, New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Andrew R Davis
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
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Bell JJ, Smith RO, Micaroni V, Strano F, Balemi CA, Caiger PE, Miller KI, Spyksma AJP, Shears NT. Marine heat waves drive bleaching and necrosis of temperate sponges. Curr Biol 2023; 33:158-163.e2. [PMID: 36462506 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Marine heat waves (MHWs) are extended periods of excessively warm water1 that are increasing in frequency, duration, intensity, and impact, and they likely represent a greater threat to marine ecosystems than the more gradual increases in sea surface temperature.2,3,4 Sponges are major and important components of global benthic marine communities,5,6,7 with earlier studies identifying tropical sponges as potential climate change "winners."8,9,10,11 In contrast, cold-water sponges may be less tolerant to predicted ocean warming and concurrent MHWs. Here, we report how a series of unprecedented MHWs in New Zealand have impacted millions of sponges at a spatial scale far greater than previously reported anywhere in the world. We reported sponge tissue necrosis12 and bleaching (symbiont loss/dysfunction),13 which have been previously associated with temperature stress,6,12,14 for three common sponge species across multiple biogeographical regions, with the severity of impact being correlated with MHW intensity. Given the ecological importance of sponges,15 their loss from these rocky temperate reefs will likely have important ecosystem-level consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - Robert O Smith
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Valerio Micaroni
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Francesca Strano
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Celia A Balemi
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Paul E Caiger
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kelsey I Miller
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Arie J P Spyksma
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nick T Shears
- Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Auckland, New Zealand
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4
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Jeunen GJ, Cane JS, Ferreira S, Strano F, von Ammon U, Cross H, Day R, Hesseltine S, Ellis K, Urban L, Pearson N, Olmedo-Rojas P, Kardailsky A, Gemmell NJ, Lamare M. Assessing the utility of marine filter feeders for environmental DNA (eDNA) biodiversity monitoring. Mol Ecol Resour 2023; 23:771-786. [PMID: 36598115 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are transforming how marine ecosystems are monitored. The time-consuming preprocessing step of active filtration, however, remains a bottleneck. Hence, new approaches that eliminate the need for active filtration are required. Filter-feeding invertebrates have been proven to collect eDNA, but side-by-side comparative studies to investigate the similarity between aquatic and filter-feeder eDNA signals are essential. Here, we investigated the differences among four eDNA sources (water; bivalve gill-tissue; sponges; and ethanol in which filter-feeding organisms were stored) along a vertically stratified transect in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand using three metabarcoding primer sets targeting fish and vertebrates. Combined, eDNA sources detected 59 vertebrates, while concurrent diver surveys observed eight fish species. There were no significant differences in alpha and beta diversity between water and sponge eDNA and both sources were highly correlated. Vertebrate eDNA was successfully extracted from the ethanol in which sponges were stored, although a reduced number of species were detected. Bivalve gill-tissue dissections, on the other hand, failed to reliably detect eDNA. Overall, our results show that vertebrate eDNA signals obtained from water samples and marine sponges are highly concordant. The strong similarity in eDNA signals demonstrates the potential of marine sponges as an additional tool for eDNA-based marine biodiversity surveys, by enabling the incorporation of larger sample numbers in eDNA surveys, reducing plastic waste, simplifying sample collection, and as a cost-efficient alternative. However, we note the importance to not detrimentally impact marine communities by, for example, nonlethal subsampling, specimen cloning, or using bycatch specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gert-Jan Jeunen
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jasmine S Cane
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,ARC CoE for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Sara Ferreira
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Francesca Strano
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, New Zealand
| | | | - Hugh Cross
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Robert Day
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sean Hesseltine
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Kaleb Ellis
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Lara Urban
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Niall Pearson
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Anya Kardailsky
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Miles Lamare
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Perkins NR, Monk J, Soler G, Gallagher P, Barrett NS. Bleaching in sponges on temperate mesophotic reefs observed following marine heatwave events. CLIMATE CHANGE ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Harnessing solar power: photoautotrophy supplements the diet of a low-light dwelling sponge. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2076-2086. [PMID: 35654830 PMCID: PMC9381825 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01254-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability of organisms to combine autotrophy and heterotrophy gives rise to one of the most successful nutritional strategies on Earth: mixotrophy. Sponges are integral members of shallow-water ecosystems and many host photosynthetic symbionts, but studies on mixotrophic sponges have focused primarily on species residing in high-light environments. Here, we quantify the contribution of photoautotrophy to the respiratory demand and total carbon diet of the sponge Chondrilla caribensis, which hosts symbiotic cyanobacteria and lives in low-light environments. Although the sponge is net heterotrophic at 20 m water depth, photosynthetically fixed carbon potentially provides up to 52% of the holobiont’s respiratory demand. When considering the total mixotrophic diet, photoautotrophy contributed an estimated 7% to total daily carbon uptake. Visualization of inorganic 13C- and 15N-incorporation using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) at the single-cell level confirmed that a portion of nutrients assimilated by the prokaryotic community was translocated to host cells. Photoautotrophy can thus provide an important supplemental source of carbon for sponges, even in low-light habitats. This trophic plasticity may represent a widespread strategy for net heterotrophic sponges hosting photosymbionts, enabling the host to buffer against periods of nutritional stress.
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Bell JJ, Shaffer M, Luter HM, Mana R, Rodolfo-Metalpa R. Phototrophic sponge productivity may not be enhanced in a high CO 2 world. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4900-4911. [PMID: 35662355 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sponges are major components of benthic communities across the world and have been identified as potential "winners" on coral reefs in the face of global climate change as result of their tolerance to ocean warming and acidification (OA). Previous studies have also hypothesised that photosymbiont-containing sponges might have higher productivity under future OA conditions as a result of photosymbionts having increased access to CO2 and subsequently greater carbon production. Here we test this hypothesis for a widespread and abundant photosymbiont-containing sponge species Lamellodysidea herbacea at a CO2 seep in Papua New Guinea simulating OA conditions. We found seep sponges had relatively higher cyanobacterial abundance, chlorophyll concentrations and symbiont photosynthetic efficiency than non-seep sponges, and a three-fold higher sponge abundance at the seep site. However, while gross oxygen production was the same for seep and non-seep sponges, seep sponge dark respiration rates were higher and instantaneous photosynthesis: respiration (P:R) ratios were lower. We show that while photosymbiont containing sponges may not have increased productivity under OA, they are able to show flexibility in their relationships with microbes and offset increased metabolic costs associated with climate change associated stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Megan Shaffer
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Heidi M Luter
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ralph Mana
- School of Natural and Physical Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Riccardo Rodolfo-Metalpa
- ENTROPIE, IRD, Université de la Réunion, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, New Caledonia
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Strano F, Micaroni V, Davy SK, Woods L, Bell JJ. Near-future extreme temperatures affect physiology, morphology and recruitment of the temperate sponge Crella incrustans. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153466. [PMID: 35124025 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Current rates of greenhouse gas emissions are leading to a rapid increase in global temperatures and a greater occurrence of extreme climatic events such as marine heatwaves. In this study, we assessed the effects of thermal conditions predicted to occur within the next 40 years (SSP3-7.0 scenario of IPCC, 2021) on the respiration rate, buoyant weight, morphology and recruitment of the temperate model sponge Crella incrustans. Under predicted average temperatures (+ 2.5 °C, over the local mean), C. incrustans did not show any physiological and morphological changes compared to current conditions. However, when exposed to a simulated marine heatwave (16 days duration and a thermal peak at 22 °C), there was a large increase in sponge respiration rate, significant weight loss resulting from tissue regression, and sponge mortality. The simulated marine heatwave resulted also in a shorter period of recruitment, lower recruitment rate and higher mortality of settlers. Despite the tissue regression, the majority of sponges that survived the extreme temperatures showed respiration rates similar to controls 13 days after the thermal peak, indicating some resilience of C. incrustans to extreme thermal events. Our study shows that marine heatwaves will significantly impact the physiology, morphology, and recruitment of temperate sponges under near-future conditions, but that these sponges are likely to persist in warmer oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Strano
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
| | - Valerio Micaroni
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Simon K Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Lisa Woods
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - James J Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
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Micaroni V, Strano F, McAllen R, Woods L, Turner J, Harman L, Bell JJ. Adaptive strategies of sponges to deoxygenated oceans. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:1972-1989. [PMID: 34854178 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ocean deoxygenation is one of the major consequences of climate change. In coastal waters, this process can be exacerbated by eutrophication, which is contributing to an alarming increase in the so-called 'dead zones' globally. Despite its severity, the effect of reduced dissolved oxygen has only been studied for a very limited number of organisms, compared to other climate change impacts such as ocean acidification and warming. Here, we experimentally assessed the response of sponges to moderate and severe simulated hypoxic events. We ran three laboratory experiments on four species from two different temperate oceans (NE Atlantic and SW Pacific). Sponges were exposed to a total of five hypoxic treatments, with increasing severity (3.3, 1.6, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.13 mg O2 L-1 , over 7-12-days). We found that sponges are generally very tolerant of hypoxia. All the sponges survived in the experimental conditions, except Polymastia crocea, which showed significant mortality at the lowest oxygen concentration (0.13 mg O2 L-1 , lethal median time: 286 h). In all species except Suberites carnosus, hypoxic conditions do not significantly affect respiration rate down to 0.4 mg O2 L-1 , showing that sponges can uptake oxygen at very low concentrations in the surrounding environment. Importantly, sponges displayed species-specific phenotypic modifications in response to the hypoxic treatments, including physiological, morphological and behavioural changes. This phenotypic plasticity likely represents an adaptive strategy to live in reduced or low oxygen water. Our results also show that a single sponge species (i.e., Suberites australiensis) can display different strategies at different oxygen concentrations. Compared to other sessile organisms, sponges generally showed higher tolerance to hypoxia, suggesting that sponges could be favoured and survive in future deoxygenated oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Micaroni
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Francesca Strano
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Rob McAllen
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Lisa Woods
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - John Turner
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Anglesey, UK
| | - Luke Harman
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - James J Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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