How sponges dine in a marine desert

One of the tropical sponges used in the experiment: the high microbial abundance sponge Plakortis angulospiculatus. Picture: Sara Campana. Marine biologists have been able to visualize for the first time how tropical sponges and their symbiotic bacteria work together to consume and recycle organic food. The research led by Meggie Hudspith and Jasper de Goeij from the University of Amsterdam, was a collaborative project with colleagues from the Australian Universities of Sydney, Queensland and Western Australia, and the research institute Carmabi on Curaçao, and is now published in the scientific journal Microbiome. Sponges are the oldest known animal-microbe symbiosis and are found abundantly across the globe, from the canals of Amsterdam to kilometre-deep canyons on the ocean floor. They play an essential role in recycling resources in nutrient-poor ecosystems, such as coral reefs. Food sources.