Data from: The role of cell replacement in benthic–pelagic coupling by suspension feeders

Benthic–pelagic coupling through suspension feeders and their detrital
pathways is integral to carbon transport in oceans. In food-poor
ecosystems however, a novel mechanism of carbon recycling has been
proposed that involves direct uptake of dissolved carbon by suspension
feeders followed by shedding of cells as particulate carbon. We studied
cell replacement rates in a range of cold-water sponge species to
determine how universal this mechanism might be. We show that cell
replacement rates of feeding epithelia in explants vary from 30 hours up
to 7 days, and change during different seasons and life-history stages. We
also found that feeding epithelia are not replaced through direct
replication but instead arise from a population of stem cells that
differentiate and integrate into epithelial tissues. Our results reveal a
surprising amount of complexity in the control of cell processes in
sponges, with cell turnover depending on environmental conditions and
using stem cells as rate-limiting mechanisms. Our results also suggest
that for species in cold water with high particulate organic matter, cell
turnover is not the mechanism delivering carbon flux to surrounding
communities.