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Host specificity of the symbiotic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae in marine sponges, Dysidea spp.

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Abstract

Marine sponges can host a variety of cyanobacterial and bacterial symbionts, but it is often unclear whether these symbionts are generalists that occur in many host species or specialists that occur only in certain species or populations of sponges. The filamentous cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae is found in the sponges Dysidea n. sp. aff. herbacea 1A and 1B, and similar cyanobacteria are found in D. n. sp. aff. granulosa. We amplified and sequenced sponge nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and cyanobacterial 16S rDNA from specimens of these three sponges. We then used these sequences to construct phylogenies for host sponges and their symbiotic cyanobacteria. Each of these three sponge species hosts a distinct cyanobacterial clade, suggesting a high degree of host specificity and potential coevolution between symbiotic cyanobacteria and their host sponges.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Becerro, F. Camacho, D. Ginsburg, R. Helling, K. Iken, V. Paul, and G. Paulay for helpful suggestions and assistance in the field. K. Bevis, P. Erwin, P. Sammarco and two anonymous reviewers provided comments that improved the manuscript. This work was supported by a Faculty Research Grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The experiments reported in this manuscript comply with the current laws of the United States of America.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA

    R. W. Thacker & S. Starnes

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  1. R. W. Thacker
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  2. S. Starnes
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Correspondence to R. W. Thacker.

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Communicated by P.W. Sammarco, Chauvin

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Thacker, R.W., Starnes, S. Host specificity of the symbiotic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria spongeliae in marine sponges, Dysidea spp.. Marine Biology 142, 643–648 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-0971-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-0971-x

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