ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6069-8338
Current Organisation
University of Amsterdam
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-02-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S40168-020-00984-W
Abstract: Sponges are increasingly recognised as key ecosystem engineers in many aquatic habitats. They play an important role in nutrient cycling due to their unrivalled capacity for processing both dissolved and particulate organic matter (DOM and POM) and the exceptional metabolic repertoire of their erse and abundant microbial communities. Functional studies determining the role of host and microbiome in organic nutrient uptake and exchange, however, are limited. Therefore, we coupled pulse-chase isotopic tracer techniques with nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to visualise the uptake and translocation of 13 C- and 15 N-labelled dissolved and particulate organic food at subcellular level in the high microbial abundance sponge Plakortis angulospiculatus and the low microbial abundance sponge Halisarca caerulea. The two sponge species showed significant enrichment of DOM- and POM-derived 13 C and 15 N into their tissue over time. Microbial symbionts were actively involved in the assimilation of DOM, but host filtering cells (choanocytes) appeared to be the primary site of DOM and POM uptake in both sponge species overall, via pinocytosis and phagocytosis, respectively. Translocation of carbon and nitrogen from choanocytes to microbial symbionts occurred over time, irrespective of microbial abundance, reflecting recycling of host waste products by the microbiome. Here, we provide empirical evidence indicating that the prokaryotic communities of a high and a low microbial abundance sponge obtain nutritional benefits from their host-associated lifestyle. The metabolic interaction between the highly efficient filter-feeding host and its microbial symbionts likely provides a competitive advantage to the sponge holobiont in the oligotrophic environments in which they thrive, by retaining and recycling limiting nutrients. Sponges present a unique model to link nutritional symbiotic interactions to holobiont function, and, via cascading effects, ecosystem functioning, in one of the earliest metazoan–microbe symbioses.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.AQUATOX.2016.12.019
Abstract: Significant amounts of trace metals have been released into both nearshore and deep sea environments in recent years, resulting in increased concentrations that can be toxic to marine organisms. Trace metals can negatively affect external fertilization processes in marine broadcast spawners and may cause a reduction in fertilization success at elevated concentrations. Due to its sensitivity and ecological importance, fertilization success has been widely used as a toxicity endpoint in ecotoxicological testing, which is an important method of evaluating the toxicity of contaminants for management planning. Ecotoxicological data regarding fertilization success are available across the major marine phyla, but there remain uncertainties that impair our ability to confidently interpret and analyse these data. At present, the cellular and biochemical events underlying trace metal toxicity in external fertilization are not known. Metal behavior and speciation play an important role in bioavailability and toxicity but are often overlooked, and disparities in experimental designs between studies limit the degree to which results can be synthesised and compared to those of other relevant species. We reviewed all available literature covering cellular toxicity mechanisms, metal toxicities and speciation, and differences in methodologies between studies. We conclude that the concept of metal toxicity should be approached in a more holistic manner that involves elucidating toxicity mechanisms, improving the understanding of metal behavior and speciation on bioavailability and toxicity, and standardizing the fertilization assay methods among different groups of organisms. We identify opportunities to improve the fertilization assay that will allow robust critical and comparative analysis between species and their sensitivities to trace metals during external fertilization, and enable data to be more readily extrapolated to field conditions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2016.02.048
Abstract: The demand for nickel and cobalt as important commodities has increased significantly over the past decade and a decline in the global nickel sulphide reserves has resulted in a shift toward the exploitation of the less favourable nickel laterite ores. These deposits, which are found associated with cobalt, are located predominantly in the tropical regions of the world where there is limited understanding of the toxicities of their extracted products and wastes. This study investigated the effects of nickel, cobalt and combinations of nickel and cobalt on the fertilization success of the common and widespread scleractinian coral Platygyra daedalea. We also present the first assessment of the effect of copper on fertilization success of this species. The EC50 value for copper was 33 μg L(-1) (95% confidence limits: 30-37 μg L(-1)) and is consistent with published values for other coral species. Our results provide the first EC50 value for the effect of nickel on fertilization success in a scleractinian coral, with an estimated value of 1420 μg L(-1) (95% confidence limits: 1160-1780 μg L(-1)). Concentrations of cobalt as high as 2500 μg L(-1) did not significantly reduce fertilization success nor did combinations of nickel (500 μg L(-1)) and cobalt (up to 1000 μg L(-1)). These are important findings given the emerging nickel-cobalt mining industry in the tropics and provide much needed toxicity data regarding the early-life histories of ecologically relevant tropical marine species.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-06-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41396-022-01254-3
Abstract: The ability of organisms to combine autotrophy and heterotrophy gives rise to one of the most successful nutritional strategies on Earth: mixotrophy. Sponges are integral members of shallow-water ecosystems and many host photosynthetic symbionts, but studies on mixotrophic sponges have focused primarily on species residing in high-light environments. Here, we quantify the contribution of photoautotrophy to the respiratory demand and total carbon diet of the sponge Chondrilla caribensis , which hosts symbiotic cyanobacteria and lives in low-light environments. Although the sponge is net heterotrophic at 20 m water depth, photosynthetically fixed carbon potentially provides up to 52% of the holobiont’s respiratory demand. When considering the total mixotrophic diet, photoautotrophy contributed an estimated 7% to total daily carbon uptake. Visualization of inorganic 13 C- and 15 N-incorporation using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) at the single-cell level confirmed that a portion of nutrients assimilated by the prokaryotic community was translocated to host cells. Photoautotrophy can thus provide an important supplemental source of carbon for sponges, even in low-light habitats. This trophic plasticity may represent a widespread strategy for net heterotrophic sponges hosting photosymbionts, enabling the host to buffer against periods of nutritional stress.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Meggie Hudspith.