Microbial diversity in four Mediterranean irciniid sponges

Area of Science:

• Marine microbiology
• Invertebrate biology
• Metabarcoding

Background:

• Sponges host diverse microbial communities, crucial for their physiology and ecological roles.
• The Irciniidae family, including Ircinia and Sarcotragus genera, is known for its complex symbiotic relationships.
• Understanding sponge-associated microbes is vital for marine ecosystem health assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the microbial communities associated with four sponge species from the Irciniidae family.
• To provide a foundational dataset for future research on sponge microbiome functions.
• To explore the microbial diversity within sponges collected from the Cretan Sea.

Main Methods:

• Sample collection via scuba diving at depths of 6-14 meters.
• Metabarcoding analysis targeting the V5-V6 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene.
• Bioinformatic processing of sequencing data to identify microbial taxa.

Main Results:

• Detailed dataset of microbial communities from Irciniaoros, Irciniavariabilis, Sarcotragusspinosulus, and Sarcotragusfasciculatus.
• Identification of dominant bacterial phyla and genera within each sponge species.
• Comparison of microbial community structures across the four studied sponge species.

Conclusions:

• The study establishes a comprehensive microbial profile for selected Irciniidae sponges.
• The data serves as a valuable resource for comparative microbiome research in marine invertebrates.
• Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the functional roles of these microbial communities in sponge health and ecology.