A grafting experiment testing the ability of Antarctic sponges to recognise self from non-self tissue and their immune response

A dive site was selected at Cape Armitage to conduct a marine benthos survey. The water was approximately 25m deep and the bottom was found to be rocky and inhabited by sponges. Four sponge species were grafted in an exercise to test the sponges ability to recognise self from non-self tissue and to examine any immune response. The experiments also allowed for the examination of the genetic relatedness among individuals on the reef. Grafter were made by cutting 1cm3 pieces of tissue from a donor sponge and embedding them in replicate host sponges of the same species at varying distances from the donor. Grafters were left in place for up to one week and were monitored daily. At the completion of the experiment, the graft site was excised from the host and frozen for further analysis.