Viral Diversity in Samples of Freshwater Gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Benedictiidae) Revealed by Total RNA-Sequencing.

Previously, the main studies were focused on viruses that cause disease in commercial and farmed shellfish and cause damage to food enterprises (for example, , and ). Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have extended the studies to natural populations of mollusks (and other invertebrates) as unexplored niches of viral diversity and possible sources of emerging diseases. These studies have revealed a huge diversity of mostly previously unknown viruses and filled gaps in the evolutionary history of viruses.

gen. et sp. nov. (Coleofasciculaceae, Coleofasciculales): A New Genus of Cyanobacteria Isolated from Sponge Fouling in Lake Baikal, Russia.

The proliferation of benthic cyanobacteria has been observed in Lake Baikal since 2011 and is a vivid manifestation of the ecological crisis occurring in the littoral zone. The cyanobacterium sp. has formed massive fouling on all types of benthic substrates, including endemic Baikal sponges.

sp. Strain SLB01 as Pathogenic Bacteria for Sponge .

Sponges (phylum Porifera) are ancient, marine and inland water, filter feeding metazoans. In recent years, diseased sponges have been increasingly occurring in marine and freshwater environments. Endemic freshwater sponges of the Lubomirskiidae family are widely distributed in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal.

Endemic sponge Lubomirskia baikalensis as a bioindicator of chemical elements pollution in Lake Baikal.

To evaluate the prospects of using Baikal endemic sponges as bioindicators of chemical elements pollution, the elemental composition of sponges, water and substrate samples, collected in two areas with different levels of anthropogenic loading of the Baikal Lake, was determined using two analytical techniques. The content of Cl, Ca, V, Zn, As, Se, Ba, Cd, and Cu in the sponges collected in Listvennichny Bay was significantly higher than in Bolshye Koty Bay. The values of the pollution indices point at the slight to moderate pollution of the substrates.

Metagenomic Assessment of DNA Viral Diversity in Freshwater Sponges, .

Sponges (type Porifera) are multicellular organisms that give shelter to a variety of microorganisms: fungi, algae, archaea, bacteria, and viruses. The studies concerning the composition of viral communities in sponges have appeared rather recently, and the diversity and role of viruses in sponge holobionts remain largely undisclosed. In this study, we assessed the diversity of DNA viruses in the associated community of the Baikal endemic sponge, , using a metagenomic approach, and compared the virome data from samples of sponges and Baikal water (control sample).