THESIS
2015
xv, 210 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
Abstract
Sponges (Porifera) are the most primitive metazoan and are widely distributed in benthic
community playing essential roles in the substance cycling and energy flow in the ecosystem.
Recently studies has demonstrated the diversity and specificity of the microorganisms in
sponges. However, the metabolism, function and evolution of the microorganisms, especially
the potential symbionts, remains largely unknown. In this thesis, we studied the diversity and
structures of the microbial communities, metabolisms, function and evolution of potential
symbionts, selective effects of environmental stresses on the microbial community in the
shallow water and deep-sea sponges through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing,
metagenomic sequencing, differential coverage binning and genomics analysis...[
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Sponges (Porifera) are the most primitive metazoan and are widely distributed in benthic
community playing essential roles in the substance cycling and energy flow in the ecosystem.
Recently studies has demonstrated the diversity and specificity of the microorganisms in
sponges. However, the metabolism, function and evolution of the microorganisms, especially
the potential symbionts, remains largely unknown. In this thesis, we studied the diversity and
structures of the microbial communities, metabolisms, function and evolution of potential
symbionts, selective effects of environmental stresses on the microbial community in the
shallow water and deep-sea sponges through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing,
metagenomic sequencing, differential coverage binning and genomics analysis. Our studies
demonstrated the autotrophic metabolisms of the ammonia-oxidation, nitrite-oxidation and
sulfur-oxidation in the potential symbionts of both shallow water and deep-sea sponges. The
autotrophs were considered to play symbiotic roles through scavenging toxic substrates and
providing carbohydrates for the host sponges. The unique genomic features in comparison to
their free-living relatives indicated a coevolution with the hosts. The treatment studies indicated
selective effects of the heavy metal and organic pollutants on the composition and function of
the microbial communities in the sponges. This thesis extend our knowledge of the symbiosis
in the environmentally important sponges, and provide insights into the function and evolution
of the potential symbionts.
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