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Updated: May 23, 2026

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
Published on: November 5, 2014
An environmental genomics perspective on the diversity and function of marine sponge-associated microbiota
Lubomir Grozdanov1, Ute Hentschel
1Research Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Wuerzburg, Roentgenring 11, D-97070 Wuerzburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Numerous marine demosponges serve as habitats to phylogenetically complex microbial communities, with population densities exceeding those of seawater by several orders of magnitude. 16S rRNA gene-based studies have enabled a detailed phylogenetic description of the microorganisms associated with sponges, whereas environmental genomics analyses are beginning to reveal insights into their metabolic and physiological properties. Additionally, metagenomic approaches provide access to functional genes and gene clusters, thereby paving the way for the heterologous expression of novel bioactive substances from microbial symbionts of marine invertebrates.
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