Bacteria as food for temperate-water marine sponges

Abstract

Samples of ambient aquarium water (inhalant) and oscular stream (exhalant) of the sponges Haliclona permollis (Bowerbank) and Suberites ficus (Johnston) were analyzed for bacteria by three methods. Bacterial removal efficiencies were 70.3 and 77% from plate cultures, 44 and 68% from surface fouling, and 77% from direct filter counting in a single transit of the sponge filter. Bacteria alone can satisfy the entire food requirements for these sponges. Bactericidal activity is not expressed in exhalant water samples. If bacterial toxins are produced by these sponges, their activity must be restricted to local sites within the confines of the organisms.

The marine sponge Chondrilla nucula Schmidt, 1862 as an elective candidate for bioremediation in integrated aquaculture

“…These were a function of the variability recorded around each mean estimate. This phenomenon had already been reported in other works [3,13]. Linear regressions for each batch (except batch 3 in test 2) showed a positive slope suggesting an increase in the filtering activity with time.…”

“…coli was chosen as suspended tracer following indications by several authors of its suitability in such a test [6,15,17,20,21]. It is known that sponges can retain a wide dimensional range of particulate matter, feeding both on colloidal macromolecules and on the smallest elements of bacterioplankton [2,3,34]. In particular, sponges can actively feed on bacteria [2,3,35] and good growth rates have been recorded using these microorganisms as food sources [20,36,37].…”

“…It is known that sponges can retain a wide dimensional range of particulate matter, feeding both on colloidal macromolecules and on the smallest elements of bacterioplankton [2,3,34]. In particular, sponges can actively feed on bacteria [2,3,35] and good growth rates have been recorded using these microorganisms as food sources [20,36,37]. E. coli enters the aquatic environment from the discharge of faecal contamination introduced by some warm-blooded animal sources and is commonly used as a bioindicator to determine the rate of faecal contamination in the sea [38].…”

“…Sponges are filter-feeding animals frequently characterising large benthic communities that have capability to process the water column above within 24 h [1], retaining up to 80% of suspended particles [2,3]. Despite relatively low pumping rates, sponges can exhibit high retention rates as a function of well-developed aquiferous systems [4,5].…”

Die Aufnahme partikulärer Nahrung beiReniera sp. (Porifera)

“…Das Wasser str6mt dann durch Schlitze zwischen den Kragen-Mikrovilli (~--in Abb. 2) in die Choanocytenkragen ein (Fjerdingstad, 1961;Reiswig, 1975a;Weissenfels, 1976;Langenbruch, 1983b) und wird durch den Geifielschlag zum Kragenapex und schliel~lich via Apopyle in das ausfiihrende Kanalsystem bef6rdert. Im Wasser mitgef(ihrte Partikel werden an der AuBenseite der Choanocytenkragen abgefangen und z. T. von den Choanocyten phagocytiert, die mit den aufgenommenen Substanzen vermutlich nut ihren eigenen Nahrungsbedarf decken.…”