Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Coastal Campus of São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil.
Department of Genetic, Biology Institute Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 5;11(1):9576. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-88288-3.
Prokaryotes contribute to the health of marine sponges. However, there is lack of data on the assembly rules of sponge-associated prokaryotic communities, especially for those inhabiting biodiversity hotspots, such as ecoregions between tropical and warm temperate southwestern Atlantic waters. The sympatric species Aplysina caissara, Axinella corrugata, and Dragmacidon reticulatum were collected along with environmental samples from the north coast of São Paulo (Brazil). Overall, 64 prokaryotic phyla were detected; 51 were associated with sponge species, and the dominant were Proteobacteria, Bacteria (unclassified), Cyanobacteria, Crenarchaeota, and Chloroflexi. Around 64% and 89% of the unclassified operational taxonomical units (OTUs) associated with Brazilian sponge species showed a sequence similarity below 97%, with sequences in the Silva and NCBI Type Strain databases, respectively, indicating the presence of a large number of unidentified taxa. The prokaryotic communities were species-specific, ranging 56%-80% of the OTUs and distinct from the environmental samples. Fifty-four lineages were responsible for the differences detected among the categories. Functional prediction demonstrated that Ap. caissara was enriched for energy metabolism and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, whereas D. reticulatum was enhanced for metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides, as well as xenobiotics' biodegradation and metabolism. This survey revealed a high level of novelty associated with Brazilian sponge species and that distinct members responsible from the differences among Brazilian sponge species could be correlated to the predicted functions.
原核生物有助于海洋海绵的健康。然而，关于海绵相关原核生物群落的组装规则缺乏数据，特别是对于那些栖息在生物多样性热点地区的群落，例如热带和暖温带西南大西洋水域之间的生态区。共生种 Aplysina caissara、Axinella corrugata 和 Dragmacidon reticulatum 与环境样本一起从圣保罗（巴西）北部海岸采集。总体而言，检测到 64 个原核门；51 个与海绵物种有关，优势菌门为变形菌门、细菌（未分类）、蓝细菌、古菌门和绿弯菌门。大约 64%和 89%与巴西海绵物种相关的未分类操作分类单位（OTU）与 Silva 和 NCBI 模式菌株数据库中的序列相似性低于 97%，表明存在大量未鉴定的分类单元。原核生物群落具有物种特异性，OTU 的范围为 56%-80%，与环境样本明显不同。54 个谱系负责检测到的类别之间的差异。功能预测表明，Ap. caissara 富含能量代谢和次生代谢物的生物合成，而 D. reticulatum 富含萜类和聚酮类代谢物以及外来生物的生物降解和代谢。这项调查显示，与巴西海绵物种相关的新颖性水平很高，负责巴西海绵物种之间差异的不同成员可能与预测功能有关。
