Microbial communities in the sponge, Rhopaloeides odorabile, from the Great Barrier Reef
Specimens of the marine sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile (class Demospongiae; order Dictyoceratida; family Spongiidae) were collected from Davies Reef and Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef (3 from each location).Molecular techniques were employed to document the microbial diversity associated with the marine sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile.The phylogenetic affiliation of sponge-associated bacteria was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing of cloned DNA fragments. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to confirm the presence of the predominant groups indicated by 16S rDNA analysis. Novel media incorporating sponge extracts were used to isolate bacteria not previously recovered from this sponge.A radial cladogram was constructed showing the diversity of bacterial clone sequences from R. odorabile. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic trees were constructed from analyses of: 823 bp of 16S rRNA gene sequence included 34 clones for which unique sequence was obtained;709 bp of 16S rRNA gene sequence from clones clustering with the Actinobacteria;804 bp of 16S rRNA gene sequence from clones clustering within the predominantly g-Proteobacteria;811 bp of 16S rRNA gene sequence from clones clustering with green nonsulfur bacteria and d-Proteobacteria;305 bp of 16S rDNA sequence obtained from organisms cultured using sponge extract media.Branches were also found using the Fitch-Margoliash and maximum parsimony methods. The effects of using actinomycete-selective media supplemented with sponge extract on total number and the number of novel bacterial morphotypes isolated from R. odorabile were measured. Medium preparations were: marine agar 2216; starch-casein agar; Emerson agar; raffinose-histidine agar; M31 Casamino Acids agar; actinomycete isolation agar; yeast-malt extract agar; and glycerol-asparagine agar. The effects of stress, including copper exposure and elevated sea temperatures on the sponge microbial community were assessed. These impacts cause a distinct shift in the microbial community including a move away from symbiosis towards disease-causing microbes.Community structure included representatives of the Actinobacteria, low-GC Gram-positive bacteria, the b- and g-subdivisions of the Proteobacteria, Cytophaga/Flavobacterium, green sulfur bacteria, green nonsulfur bacteria, planctomycetes, and other sequence types with no known close relatives. The study aimed to investigate the diversity of the total bacterial community within the sponge R. odorabile.
Data and resources
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Temperature thresholds for bacterial symbiosis with a sponge: Webster NS, Cobb RE and Negri AP (2008) Temperature thresholds for bacterial symbiosis with a…HTML Open
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A spongin-boring a-proteobacterium is the etiological agent of disease in the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile: Webster NS, Negri AP, Webb RI…HTML Open
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The effects of copper on the microbial community of a coral reef sponge: Webster NS, Webb RI, Ridd MJ, Hill RT and Negri AP (2001) The effects of copper on the…HTML Open
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Detection and phylogenetic analysis of novel crenarchaeote and euryarchaeote sequences from a Great Barrier Reef sponge: Webster NS, Watts JEM and Hill RT…HTML Open
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The culturable microbial community of the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile is dominated by an a-Proteobacterium: Webster NS and Hill RT (2001)…HTML Open
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Marine microbial metropolis: Webster NS and Hill RT (2000) Marine microbial metropolis. Today's Life Sciences 13: 40-44.HTML Open
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Molecular approaches to the isolation, identification and characterization of actinomycetes from the marine environment: Hill RT, Webster NS, Ravel J and Peraud…HTML Open
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The occurence of novel archaea in the marine sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile: Webster NS, Watts JEM and Hill RT (2000) The occurence of novel archaea in the…HTML Open
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Phylogenetic diversity of bacteria associated with the marine sponge, Rhopaloeides odorabile: Webster NS, Wilson KJ, Blackall LL and Hill RT (2000) Phylogenetic…HTML Open
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Microbial diversity and bacterial symbiosis in the Great Barrier Reef sponge, Rhopaloeides odorabile: Webster NS and Hill RT (2000) Microbial diversity and…HTML Open
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The microbial ecology of the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides odorabile: Webster NS The microbial ecology of the Great Barrier Reef sponge Rhopaloeides…HTML Open
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Additional information
| Date (revision) | 2026-10-24 |
|---|---|
| Status | onGoing |
| Update frequency | notPlanned |
| Metadata language | en |
| License | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 |
| Source metadata | ISO 19115 XML |
| Last updated | 2026-11-05 |
| Created | 2026-11-05 |
| API | package_show |