Stable dominance of parasitic dinoflagellates in Antarctic sponges.

Background: Marine sponges are dominant components of Antarctic benthos and representative of the high endemism that characterizes this environment. All microbial groups are part of the Antarctic sponge holobionts, but microbial eukaryotes have been studied less, and their symbiotic role still needs to be better understood. Here, we characterize the dynamics of microbial eukaryotes associated with Antarctic sponges, focusing on dinoflagellates over three summer periods to better understand the members, interannual variations, and trophic and lifestyle strategies.

Unveiling microbial guilds and symbiotic relationships in Antarctic sponge microbiomes.

Marine sponges host diverse microbial communities. Although we know many of its ecological patterns, a deeper understanding of the polar sponge holobiont is still needed. We combine high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal genes, including the largest taxonomic repertoire of Antarctic sponge species analyzed to date, functional metagenomics, and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs).

Bacteria Isolated From the Antarctic Sponge sp. Reveals Mechanisms of Symbiosis in , , and .

Antarctic sponges harbor a diverse range of microorganisms that perform unique metabolic functions for nutrient cycles. Understanding how microorganisms establish functional sponge-microbe interactions in the Antarctic marine ecosystem provides clues about the success of these ancient animals in this realm. Here, we use a culture-dependent approach and genome sequencing to investigate the molecular determinants that promote a dual lifestyle in three bacterial genera , , and .

Characterization of Bacterial, Archaeal and Eukaryote Symbionts from Antarctic Sponges Reveals a High Diversity at a Three-Domain Level and a Particular Signature for This Ecosystem.

Sponge-associated microbial communities include members from the three domains of life. In the case of bacteria, they are diverse, host specific and different from the surrounding seawater. However, little is known about the diversity and specificity of Eukarya and Archaea living in association with marine sponges.