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Association of the sponge Tethya orphei (Porifera, Demospongiae) with filamentous cyanobacteria
Author(s) -
Gaino Elda,
Sciscioli Margherita,
Lepore Elena,
Rebora Manuela,
Corriero Giuseppe
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
invertebrate biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.486
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1744-7410
pISSN - 1077-8306
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2006.00061.x
Subject(s) - sponge , biology , cyanobacteria , sponge spicule , trichome , ultrastructure , botany , segmented filamentous bacteria , anatomy , paleontology , bacteria , sewage treatment , activated sludge , engineering , waste management
. Specimens of the sponge Tethya orphei , collected in February 2005 on the underside of coral stones on Arì Athol (Maldives), have been processed for histological and ultrastructural investigations. The cortical layer of the sponge was found to be permeated by filamentous cyanobacteria, the trichomes of which measured 45–63 μm on average and were composed of 10–14 cells. The fine organization of the filaments was consistent with their taxonomic identification as Oscillatoria spongeliae. These filaments filled the cortical region of the sponge and penetrated inward into the upper choanosomal region, where they sometimes overlapped the siliceous spicule bundles. A budding specimen of T. orphei showed that the filaments were also present in the single bud protruding from the sponge surface, demonstrating that asexual reproduction can vertically transmit these symbionts from sponge to sponge. The occurrence of filaments in all the specimens studied is consistent with the assumption that filamentous cyanobacteria are not mere intruders but mutualistic symbionts with members of T. orphei.