Despite the wide range of functional roles performed by marine sponges they are still poorly
represented in many research, monitoring and conservation programmes. The aim of this …

Mesophotic coral reefs, reefs at depths of 30 m to 150 m, are receiving renewed interest from
coral reef scientists and managers because they are linked physically and biologically to …

Marine sponges are able to process a variety of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P),
and silicon (Si) dissolved compounds, in addition to the particulate C, N, and P obtained …

With the decline of reef-building corals on tropical reefs, sponges have emerged as an
important component of changing coral reef ecosystems. Seemingly simple, sponges are …

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), occurring at depths of 30 to over 150m, represents
the deep continuum of adjacent shallow coral reefs about which little is known. These reefs …

Coral reefs are iconic examples of biological hotspots, highly appreciated because of their
ecosystem services. Yet, they are threatened by human impact and climate change …

Sponges play an important ecological function in many benthic habitats. They filter large
volumes of water, retain suspended particles with high efficiency, and process dissolved …

Although abiotic factors may be important first-order filters dictating which sponge species
can thrive at a particular site, ecological interactions can play substantial roles influencing …

The growth of animals in most taxa has long been well described, but the phylum Porifera
has remained a notable exception. The giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta dominates …

Background Sponges have long been known to be ecologically important members of the
benthic fauna on coral reefs. Recently, it has been shown that sponges are also important …