16S rRNA-based microbial community profile of model sponge, Cinachyrella sp. from the Broward County Florida reefs, 2011.

Marine sponges are remarkable filter feeders (up to 24,000 L of water kg-1 day-1) and can strongly influence the water quality of their environment. Many species harbor a high diversity and abundance of microbes (Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryotes) which constitute up to 40% of the total sponge biomass. Bacteria abundance in sponge tissues can be two- to four-fold higher than concentrations in the surrounding seawater. Furthermore, some Bacteria permanently inhabit the sponge tissues while others are rapidly consumed. Culture-independent techniques have shown these sponge-specific bacterial assemblages are diverse, including 14 phyla of Bacteria. We investigated diversity of Bacteria within Cinachyrella sp. tissues from a) specimens directly collected from the environment and b) specimens kept in tanks for up to 3 weeks after collection by 16S rDNA clone libraries and tag pyrosequencing. Results showed that Cinachyrella sp., an important component of South Florida reefs and benthic ecosystems, proved to be a good model sponge. Many Bacteria present in the sponge tissues were rarely detected from the surrounding seawater. The most common Bacteria associated with Cinachyrella sp. were most closely related to the taxa Chloroflexi and Actinobacteria. These results will have important implications for a larger study on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on marine sponges’ symbionts.