Caribbean Sponge Metagenomes

Species (n = 7) of common emergent Caribbean sponges were sampled for metagenome analysis. Species included sponges with high and low abundances of symbiotic microbial communities. Sponge tissue (about 3-4 cm3) was collected from the sponge in situ (3 - 6 m depth, FL Keys, USA) and put in a sterile Whirl-Pak bag with seawater. Total DNA was extracted from the sponge tissue and either host depleted ('hd' in sample name) using a QIAmp DNA microbiome kit or not host depleted (DNA extracted with the Qiagen powersoil powerlyser kit) before use in DNA sequencing.