Sponge-microbe associations: unravelling the mysteries of an ancient partnership

• Applicant: Dr. Susanne Schmitt
• Subject Area: Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: from 2008 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 64939327

Many marine sponges harbour abundant and diverse microbial communities. Sponge-microbe associations may date back ca. 600 million years and are of great ecological and biotechnological importance, yet many key evolutionary questions remain unanswered. This is partly due to the resistance of many of these microbes to cultivation efforts, and to a lack of molecular tools with sufficient specificity, sensitivity and resolution. To overcome both of these obstacles I will create a 16S rRNA-based diagnostic microarray for the identification of key lineages of sponge-associated prokaryotes. Based on existing phylogenetic information, symbiont-targeting oligonucleotide probes will be designed, tested then applied on a large set of sponge samples (including embryos and larvae) to address three of the main outstanding questions in sponge microbiology: (1) Do most sponges share a common ‘core’ of microbial associates? (2) Is the majority of microbial associates vertically transmitted? (3) How stable is the sponge-microbe association? The work outlined here will extend considerably our current understanding of sponge-microbe interactions.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: New Zealand, USA
• Hosts: Professor Dr. Peter Schupp; Dr. Mike Taylor