Molecular evidence for a uniform microbial community in sponges from different oceans - PubMed (original) (raw)

Molecular evidence for a uniform microbial community in sponges from different oceans

Ute Hentschel et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002 Sep.

Abstract

Sponges (class Porifera) are evolutionarily ancient metazoans that populate the tropical oceans in great abundances but also occur in temperate regions and even in freshwater. Sponges contain large numbers of bacteria that are embedded within the animal matrix. The phylogeny of these bacteria and the evolutionary age of the interaction are virtually unknown. In order to provide insights into the species richness of the microbial community of sponges, we performed a comprehensive diversity survey based on 190 sponge-derived 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences. The sponges Aplysina aerophoba and Theonella swinhoei were chosen for construction of the bacterial 16S rDNA library because they are taxonomically distantly related and they populate nonoverlapping geographic regions. In both sponges, a uniform microbial community was discovered whose phylogenetic signature is distinctly different from that of marine plankton or marine sediments. Altogether 14 monophyletic, sponge-specific sequence clusters were identified that belong to at least seven different bacterial divisions. By definition, the sequences of each cluster are more closely related to each other than to a sequence from nonsponge sources. These monophyletic clusters comprise 70% of all publicly available sponge-derived 16S rDNA sequences, reflecting the generality of the observed phenomenon. This shared microbial fraction represents the smallest common denominator of the sponges investigated in this study. Bacteria that are exclusively found in certain host species or that occur only transiently would have been missed. A picture emerges where sponges can be viewed as highly concentrated reservoirs of so far uncultured and elusive marine microorganisms.

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Figures

FIG. 1.

FIG. 1.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with all publicly available 16S rDNA sequences that were recovered from marine sponges. Multifurcations indicate that the respective branching order could not be unambiguously resolved by different treeing methods. Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are provided for relevant groups and the sponge-specific clusters (square brackets). The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. The tetragons (squares and fans) depict monophyletic clusters (shaded shapes) and those that contain additional environmental sequences (open shapes). The differences in the lengths of the horizontal lines of each tetragon represent the degree of sequence divergence within each phylogenetic cluster.

FIG. 2.

FIG. 2.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with 16S rRNA sequences affiliated with the phylum Actinobacteria and sequences of uncertain affiliation that were recovered from marine sponges. The boxes depict monophyletic sequence clusters (shaded boxes) and those that contain additional environmental sequences (open boxes). Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are given for sponge-specific clusters. The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. Arrow, to outgroup.

FIG. 3.

FIG. 3.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with 16S rRNA sequences affiliated with the phylum Proteobacteria that were recovered from marine sponges. The boxes show monophyletic sequence clusters. Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are given for sponge-specific clusters. The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. Arrow, to outgroup.

FIG. 4.

FIG. 4.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with 16S rRNA sequences affiliated with Nitrospira, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Spirochaetes that were recovered from marine sponges. The boxes show monophyletic sequence clusters. Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are given for sponge-specific clusters. The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. Arrow, to outgroup.

FIG. 5.

FIG. 5.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with 16S rRNA sequences affiliated with Acidobacteria that were recovered from marine sponges. The boxes depict monophyletic sequence clusters (shaded boxes) and those that contain additional environmental sequences (open boxes). Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are given for sponge-specific clusters. The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. Arrow, to outgroup.

FIG. 6.

FIG. 6.

Phylogenetic dendrogram calculated with 16S rRNA sequences affiliated with Choroflexi that were recovered from marine sponges. The box shows a monophyletic sequence cluster. Parsimony and neighbor-joining bootstrap values are given for sponge-specific clusters. The scale bar indicates 10% sequence divergence. Arrow, to outgroup.

FIG. 7.

FIG. 7.

Distribution of monophyletic 16S rDNA sequence clusters between three marine sponges.

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