Sponge-associated fungal communities in temperate waters

The aim of the current study is to assess the diversity of the fungal community of sponges using cultivation-based and cultivation-independent ITS community profiling to examine their suitability to describe sponge-associated fungal diversity. Fungal communities of three co-occurring sponges and the surrounding seawater were assessed over time to help elucidate host-specificity, stability and potential core members, which may shed light into the ecological function of fungi in sponges.