Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sponges

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Coral Reefs of the World ((CORW,volume 12))

Abstract

Sponges are dominant, but poorly understood, components of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs). Herein, we review the current understanding of mesophotic reef sponges focusing on their biodiversity, ecology, and threats, and comparing this to shallow reef sponges. The few studies of MCEs report a large number of new species, for which their contribution to ecosystem services and our understanding of sponge biodiversity and evolution are unknown. Major threats to MCE sponges are similar to threats to deep-water sponge communities and to mesophotic corals: fishing activities, pollution, and climate change, as well as in the Caribbean, invasive lionfish predation on herbivorous fishes that can result in overgrowth of algae that smother corals and sponges. The current geographic, habitat, and sampling biases prevent a full understanding of mesophotic sponge biodiversity and their ecological roles. Future studies must include not only massive sponges, but also the rare and harder to collect encrusting sponges. It is premature to draw global patterns of diversity and distribution for mesophotic sponges, since MCEs have not been studied worldwide, and geomorphological features vary within regions, causing species distributions to be highly variable.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alcolado PM (1980) Esponjas de Cuba. Nuevos registros. Poeyana 197:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Alcolado PM, Gotera GG (1986) Nuevas adiciones a la fauna de poriferos de Cuba. Poeyana 331:3

    Google Scholar 

  • Alvarez B, Van Soest RWM, Rützler K (1998) A revision of Axinellidae (Porifera: Demospongiae) in the Central West Atlantic region. Smithson Contrib Zool 598:1–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andradi-Brown D, Laverick J, Bejarano I et al (2016) Threats to mesophotic coral ecosystems and management options. In: Baker EK, Puglise KA, Harris PT (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems—a lifeboat for coral reefs? United Nations Environment Programme and GRID, Arendal, pp 67–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong RA, Pizarro O, Roman C (2019) Underwater robotic technology for imaging mesophotic coral ecosystems. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 973–988

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell JJ, Davy SK, Jones T et al (2013) Could some coral reefs become sponge reefs as our climate changes? Glob Chang Biol 19(9):2613–2624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell JJ, Smith D, Hannan D et al (2014) Resilience to disturbance despite limited dispersal and self-recruitment in tropical barrel sponges: implications for conservation and management. PLoS ONE 9(3):e91635

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bongaerts P, Ridgeway T, Sampayo EM et al (2010) Assessing the “deep reef refuge” hypothesis: focus on Caribbean reefs. Coral Reefs 29:309–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridge TCL, Beaman RJ, Bongaerts P et al (2019) The Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 351–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Colin PL (2016) Spotlight on the Palau Island group. In: Baker EK, Puglise KA, Harris PT (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems—a lifeboat for coral reefs? United Nations Environment Programme and GRID, Arendal, pp 31–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Colin PL, Lindfield SJ (2019) Palau. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 285–299

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bakker DM, Meesters EHWG, van Bleijswijk JDL et al (2016) Population genetic structure, abundance, and health status of two dominant benthic species in the Saba Bank National Park, Caribbean Netherlands: Montastraea cavernosa and Xestospongia muta. PLoS ONE 11(5):e0155969

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Goeij JM, Moodley L, Houtekamer M et al (2008) Tracing 13C-enriched dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the bacteria-containing coral reef sponge Halisarca caerulea: evidence for DOM feeding. Limnol Oceanogr 53(4):1376–1386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Goeij JM, van Oevelen D, Vermeij MJA et al (2013) Surviving in a marine desert: the sponge loop retains resources within coral reefs. Science 342(6154):108–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Laubenfels MW (1934) New sponges from the Puerto Rican deep. Smithson Misc Collect 91(17):11–12

    Google Scholar 

  • De Laubenfels MW (1936) A discussion of the sponge fauna of the Dry Tortugas in particular and the West Indies in general, with material for a revision of the families and orders of the Porifera. Carnegie Inst Wash 467(30):1–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz MC (2005) Common sponges from shallow marine habitats from Bocas del Toro region, Panama. Caribb J Sci 41:465–475

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz MC (2011) Mangrove and coral reef sponge fauna: untold stories about shallow water Porifera in the Caribbean. Hydrobiologia

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz MC, Rützler K (2001) Sponges an essential component of Caribbean coral reefs. Bull Mar Sci 69(2):535–546

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz MC, Pomponi SA, Van Soest RWM (1993) A systematic revision of the central West Atlantic Halichondrida (Demospongiae, Porifera). Part III: description of valid species. In: Uriz MJ, Rützler K (eds) Recent advances in ecology and systematics of sponges. Sci Mar 57(4):273–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth AR, Peterson BJ (2013) Effects of seawater temperature and pH on the boring rates of the sponge Cliona celata in scallop shells. Mar Biol 160:27–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth AR, West L, Vansach T et al (2012) Effects of water temperature and pH on growth and metabolite biosynthesis of coral reef sponges. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 462:67–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ereskovsky AV, Lavrov DV, Willenz P (2014) Five new species of Homoscleromorpha (Porifera) from the Caribbean Sea and re-description of Plakina jamaicensis. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 94(02):285–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erwin PM, Thacker RW (2007) Incidence and identity of photosynthetic symbionts in Caribbean coral reef sponge communities. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 87:1683–1692

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erwin PM, Thacker RW (2008) Cryptic diversity of the symbiotic cyanobacterium Synechococcus spongiarum among sponge hosts. Mol Ecol 17:2937–2947

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eyal G, Tamir R, Kramer N et al (2019) The Red Sea: Israel. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 199–214

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fromont J, Wahab MAA, Gomez O et al (2016) Patterns of sponge biodiversity in the Pilbara, Northwestern Australia. Diversity 8:21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gress E, Voss JD, Eckert RJ et al (2019) The Mesoamerican reef. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 71–84

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hechtel GJ (1965) A systematic study of the Demospongiae of Port Royal, Jamaica. Bull Peabody Mus Nat Hist 20:1–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Hentschel U, Piel J, Degnan SN et al (2012) Genomic insights into the marine sponge microbiome. Nat Rev Microbiol 10:641–654

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hinderstein LM, Marr JCA, Martinez FA et al (2010) Theme section on “Mesophotic coral ecosystems: characterization, ecology, and management.” Coral Reefs 29(2):247–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogg MM, Tendal OS, Conway KW et al (2010) Deep-sea sponge grounds: reservoirs of biodiversity, UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series no 32. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Knudby A, Kenchington E, Murillo FJ (2013) Modeling the distribution of Geodia sponges and sponge grounds in the northwest Atlantic. PLoS ONE 8(12):e82306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kobluk DR, Van Soest RWM (1989) Cavity dwelling sponges in a southern Caribbean coral reef and their paleontological implications. Bull Mar Sci 44(3):1207–1235

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang JC, Hartman WD, Land LS (1975) Sclerosponges: primary framework constructors on the Jamaican fore-reef. J Mar Res 33:223–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert H, Van Soest RWM (1996) North Jamaican deep fore-reef sponges. Beaufortia 46(4):53–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert H, Van Soest RWM (1998) Shallow water sponges of Jamaica. Beaufortia 48(5):71–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert H, Van Soest RWM (1999) More North Jamaican deep fore-reef sponges. Beaufortia 49(12):141–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Lesser MP (2006) Benthic-pelagic coupling on coral reefs: feeding and growth of Caribbean sponges. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 328:277–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesser MP, Slattery M (2011) Phase shift to algal dominated communities at mesophotic depths associated with lionfish (Pterois volitans) invasion on a Bahamian coral reef. Biol Invasions 13:1855–1866

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesser MP, Slattery M (2013) Ecology of Caribbean sponges: are top-down or bottom-up processes more important? PLoS ONE 8(11):e79799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lesser MP, Slattery M, Stat M et al (2010) Photoacclimatization by the coral Montastraea cavernosa in the mesophotic zone: light, food, and genetics. Ecology 91:990–1003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado M, Young CM (1998) Limits on the bathymetric distribution of keratose sponges: a field test in deep water. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 174:123–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado M, Aguilar R, Bannister RJ et al (2016) Sponge grounds as key marine habitats: a synthetic review of types, structure, functional roles, and conservation concerns. In: Rossi D (ed) Marine animal forests. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehbub MF, Lei J, Franco C et al (2014) Marine sponge derived natural products between 2001 and 2010: trends and opportunities for discovery of bioactives. Mar Drugs 12:4539–4577

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrow KM, Bourne DG, Humphrey C et al (2015) Natural volcanic CO2 seeps reveal future trajectories for host-microbial associations in corals and sponges. ISME J 9(4):894–908

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muricy G, Lopes DA, Hajdu E et al (2011) Catalogue of Brazilian Porifera. Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, p 300

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakao Y, Fusetani N (2010) Marine invertebrates: sponges. In: Liu HW, Mander L (eds) Comprehensive natural products II. Elsevier, Oxford, pp 327–362

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez T, Diaz MC, Ruiz C et al (2017) How a collaborative integrated taxonomic effort has trained new spongiologists and improved knowledge of Martinique Island (French Antilles, eastern Caribbean Sea) marine biodiversity. PLoS ONE 12(3):e0173859

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisera A, Pomponi SA (2015) New data on lithistid sponges from the deep Florida shelf with description of a new species of Theonella. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 95(7):1297–1309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pomponi SA, Reed JK, Wright AE et al (1996) Diversity and bioactivity of marine sponges of the Caribbean: the Turks and Caicos Islands. Caribb J Agric Nat Res 1(1):41–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomponi SA, Kelly M, Reed JK et al (2001) Diversity and bathymetric distribution of lithistid sponges in the tropical western Atlantic region. Bull Biol Soc Wash 10:344–353

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyle RL (2019) Advanced technical diving. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 959–972

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Reed JK, Pomponi SA (1997) Biodiversity and distribution of deep and shallow water sponges in the Bahamas. Proc 8th Int Coral Reef Symp 2:1387–1392

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed JK, Farrington S, Harter S et al (2017) Characterization of the mesophotic benthic habitat, benthic macrobiota, and fish assemblages from ROV dives on Pulley Ridge during the 2015 R/V Walton Smith cruise; R/V Walton Smith – cruise no. WS15234. http://data.nodc.noaa.gov/coris/library/NOAA/CRCP/other/non_crcp_publications/NCCOS_Pulley_Ridge_Report.pdf

  • Roberts CM, McClean CJ, Veron JEN et al (2002) Biodiversity hotspots and conservation priorities for tropical reefs. Science

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler K (1986) Phylum Porifera (sponges). In: Sterrer W (ed) Marine fauna and flora of Bermuda: a systematic guide to the identification of marine organisms. Wiley, New York, pp 1–742

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler K (1990) Associations between sponges and photosynthetic organisms. In: Rützler K (ed) New perspectives in sponge biology. Smithsonian, Washington, DC, pp 455–466

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler K, Smith KP (1992) Guide to western Atlantic species of Cinachyrella (Porifera: Tetillidae). Proc Biol Soc Wash 105(1):148–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler K, Van Soest RWM, Piantoni C (2009) Sponges (Porifera) of the Gulf of Mexico. In: Felder DL, Camp DK (eds) Gulf of Mexico-origins, waters, and biota, Biodiversity, vol 1. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, pp 285–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler K, Piantoni C, Van Soest RWM et al (2014) Diversity of sponges (Porifera) from cryptic habitats on the Belize barrier reef near Carrie Bow Cay. Zootaxa 3805(1):1–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher TA, Schlacher-Hoenlinger MA, Williams A et al (2007) Richness and distribution of sponge megabenthos in continental margin canyons off southeastern Australia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 340:73–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt O (1870) Grundzüge einer Spongien-Fauna des atlantischen Gebietes. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp 1–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoenberg CHL, Fang JKH, Carballo JL (2017) Bioeroding sponges and the future of coral reefs. In: Bell JJ, Carballo JL (eds) Climate change, ocean acidification and sponges. Springer, Heidelberg (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulze FE (1887) Report on the Hexactinellida collected by H.M.S. ‘Challenger’ during the years 1873–1876. HMS Challenger Sci Results Zool 21:1–514

    Google Scholar 

  • Sedberry GR, Cooksey C, Crowe SF et al (2004) Characterization of deep reef habitat off the Southeastern U.S. with particular emphasis on discovery, exploration and description of reef fish spawning sites. Marine Resources Research Institute, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, p 76

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinniger F, Ballantine DL, Bejarano I et al (2016) Biodiversity of mesophotic coral ecosystems. In: Baker EK, Puglise KA, Harris PT (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems—a lifeboat for coral reefs? United Nations Environment Programme and GRID, Arendal, pp 50–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinniger F, Harii S, Humblet H et al (2019) Ryukyus Islands, Japan. In: Loya Y, Puglise KA, Bridge TCL (eds) Mesophotic coral ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 231–247

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP (2012) Mesophotic coral reefs: a global model of structure and function. Proc 12th Int Coral Reef Symp. ICRS2012_9C_2

    Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP (2014) Allelopathy in the tropical alga Lobophora variegata: mechanistic basis for a phase shift on mesophotic coral reefs. J Phycol 50:493–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP (2015) Trophic ecology of sponges from shallow to mesophotic depths (3 to 150 m): comment on Pawlik et al. (2015). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 527:275–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP (2017) Cayman and Bahamas. Springer, Heidelberg (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP, Brazeau D et al (2011) Connectivity and stability of mesophotic coral reefs. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 408:32–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slattery M, Lesser MP, Gochfeld DJ et al (2017) Biogeographic connectivity of Caribbean mesophotic sponge communities. In: Gochfeld DJ, Wright CS (eds) Proceedings of the AAUS 36th Scientific Symposium. American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Dauphin Island, pp 67–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Spalding MD, Fox HE, Allen GR et al (2007) Marine ecoregions of the world: a bioregionalization of coastal and shelf areas. Bioscience 57(7):573–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor MW, Thacker RW, Hentschel U (2007) Evolutionary insights from sponges. Science 316:1854–1855

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thacker RW, Diaz MC, Rützler K et al (2007) Phylogenetic relationships among the filamentous cyanobacterial symbionts of Caribbean sponges and a comparison of photosynthetic production between sponges hosting filamentous and unicellular cyanobacteria. In: Custódio MR, Lôbo-Hajdu G, Hajdu E et al (eds) Porifera research: biodiversity, innovation, and sustainability. Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, pp 621–626

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas T, Moitinho-Silva L, Lurgi M et al (2016) Diversity, structure and convergent evolution of the global sponge microbiome. Nat Commun 7:11870

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Trussell GC, Lesser MP, Patterson MR et al (2006) Depth-specific differences in growth of the reef sponge Callyspongia vaginalis: role of bottom-up effects. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 323:149–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM (1977) A revision of the megacanthoxea-bearing tetillids (Porifera, Spirophorida), with a description of a new species. In: Hummelinck PW, Van der Steen LJ (eds) Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, vol 53. M. Nijhoff, The Hague, pp 7–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM (1978) Marine sponges from Curacao and other Caribbean localities, Part I. Keratosa. In: Hummelinck PW, Van der Steen LJ (eds) Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands, vol 56(179). M. Nijhoff, The Hague, pp 47–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM (2017) Sponges of the Guyana shelf. Zootaxa 4217(1):1–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM, Stentoft N (1988) Barbados deep-water sponges. In: Hummelinck PW, Van der Steen LJ (eds) Studies on the fauna of Curacao and other Caribbean islands, vol 70(215). The Hague, M. Nijhoff, pp 92–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM, Boury-Esnault N, Vacelet J et al (2012) Global diversity of sponges (Porifera). PLoS ONE 7(4):e35105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM, Meesters EH, Becking LE (2014) Deep-water sponges (Porifera) from Bonaire and Klein Curacao, Southern Caribbean. Zootaxa 3878(5):401–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Soest RWM, Boury-Esnault N, Hooper JNA et al (2017) World Porifera database. http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera. Accessed 18 Dec 2017

  • Vicente J, Zea S, Hill RT (2016) Sponge epizoism in the Caribbean and the discovery of new Plakortis and Haliclona species, and polymorphism of Xestospongia deweerdtae (Porifera). Zootaxa 4178(2):209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein DK, Smith TB, Klaus JS (2014) Mesophotic bioerosion: variability and structural impact on US Virgin Island deep reefs. Geomorphology 222:14–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiedenmayer F (1977) Shallow-water sponges of the western Bahamas. Experientia Suppl 28:1–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson CR, Cheshire AC (1990) Comparisons of sponge populations across the barrier reefs of Australia and Belize: evidence for higher productivity in the Caribbean. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 67:285–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wisshak M, Schonberb CHL, Form A et al (2014) Sponge bioerosion accelerated by ocean acidification across species and latitudes? Helgol Mar Res 68:253–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zea S (1987) Esponjas del Caribe Colombiano. Catálogo Cientifico, Santa Marta, pp 1–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Zea S, Valderrama D, Martinez AM (2013) Axinyssa ambrosia and Axinyssa yumae (Porifera, Halichondrida): two valid sponge species from the Caribbean Sea. Zootaxa 3682(3):495–500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Blasiak LC, Karolin JO et al (2015) Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges. Proc Natl Acad Sci 112:4381–4386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

SP and MCD acknowledge support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research under award numbers NA14OAR4320260 to the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute-Florida Atlantic University (HBOI-FAU) and NA150AR4320064 to the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) at the University of Miami. Data on Cuba MCE sponge biodiversity were collected during an expedition in support of the Joint Statement between the U.S.A. and the Republic of Cuba on Cooperation on Environmental Protection (November 24, 2015) and the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States NOAA and National Park Service, and Cuba’s National Center for Protected Areas. We thank Carlos Diaz (Director of Cuba’s National Center of Protected Areas) and his staff for assistance in securing the necessary permits and logistical support to conduct the expedition. Specimens from the western Pacific were collected and identified by Coral Reef Research Foundation under contract to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). We thank Helmut Lehnert (Germany) for permission to use his photos made at Discovery Bay, Jamaica during Trimix dives. Lisa Becking and Erik Meesters (Wageningen University) collected and photographed sponges in Bonaire and Klein Curaçao during an HOV exploration facilitated by Adrian (‘Dutch’) Schrier. Patrick L. Colin is thanked for his insights into mesophotic sponges and for the use of his western Pacific sponge photos. Megan Conkling (HBOI-FAU) is acknowledged for assistance with compiling the references.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA

    Shirley A. Pomponi & M. Cristina Diaz

  2. Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Leiden, Netherlands

    Rob W. M. Van Soest

  3. Coral Reef Research Foundation, Koror, Palau

    Lori J. Bell

  4. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, Havana, Cuba

    Linnet Busutil

  5. National Center for Natural Products Research and Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA

    Deborah J. Gochfeld & Marc Slattery

  6. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, New Zealand

    Michelle Kelly

Authors
  1. Shirley A. Pomponi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Cristina Diaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rob W. M. Van Soest
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lori J. Bell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Linnet Busutil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Deborah J. Gochfeld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Michelle Kelly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Marc Slattery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shirley A. Pomponi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yossi Loya

  2. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Kimberly A. Puglise

  3. Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum Network, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Tom C.L. Bridge

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pomponi, S.A. et al. (2019). Sponges. In: Loya, Y., Puglise, K., Bridge, T. (eds) Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92735-0_32

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation