TY - JOUR
T1 - Harnessing solar power
T2 - photoautotrophy supplements the diet of a low-light dwelling sponge
AU - Hudspith, Meggie
AU - de Goeij, Jasper M.
AU - Streekstra, Mischa
AU - Kornder, Niklas A.
AU - Bougoure, Jeremy
AU - Guagliardo, Paul
AU - Campana, Sara
AU - van der Wel, Nicole N.
AU - Muyzer, Gerard
AU - Rix, Laura
N1 - Funding Information: We are grateful to Céline Loussert-Fonta for assistance with fluorescence microscopy and would like to thank the staff at CARMABI and Dóra Víg for logistical support in the field; Michelle Achlatis and Mathieu Pernice for insightful discussions; Merijn Schuurmans and Bas van Beusekom for support with photosynthesis/irradiance measurements and analysis; and Pieter Slot and Jorien Schoorl at the Analytical Laboratory of IBED for assistance with sample analysis. We acknowledge use of the Microscopy Australia Ion Probe Facility at The University of Western Australia, a facility funded by the University, and State and Commonwealth Governments. Funding Information: We are grateful to Céline Loussert-Fonta for assistance with fluorescence microscopy and would like to thank the staff at CARMABI and Dóra Víg for logistical support in the field; Michelle Achlatis and Mathieu Pernice for insightful discussions; Merijn Schuurmans and Bas van Beusekom for support with photosynthesis/irradiance measurements and analysis; and Pieter Slot and Jorien Schoorl at the Analytical Laboratory of IBED for assistance with sample analysis. We acknowledge use of the Microscopy Australia Ion Probe Facility at The University of Western Australia, a facility funded by the University, and State and Commonwealth Governments. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - The ability of organisms to combine autotrophy and heterotrophy gives rise to one of the most successful nutritional strategies on Earth: mixotrophy. Sponges are integral members of shallow-water ecosystems and many host photosynthetic symbionts, but studies on mixotrophic sponges have focused primarily on species residing in high-light environments. Here, we quantify the contribution of photoautotrophy to the respiratory demand and total carbon diet of the sponge Chondrilla caribensis, which hosts symbiotic cyanobacteria and lives in low-light environments. Although the sponge is net heterotrophic at 20 m water depth, photosynthetically fixed carbon potentially provides up to 52% of the holobiont’s respiratory demand. When considering the total mixotrophic diet, photoautotrophy contributed an estimated 7% to total daily carbon uptake. Visualization of inorganic 13C- and 15N-incorporation using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) at the single-cell level confirmed that a portion of nutrients assimilated by the prokaryotic community was translocated to host cells. Photoautotrophy can thus provide an important supplemental source of carbon for sponges, even in low-light habitats. This trophic plasticity may represent a widespread strategy for net heterotrophic sponges hosting photosymbionts, enabling the host to buffer against periods of nutritional stress.
AB - The ability of organisms to combine autotrophy and heterotrophy gives rise to one of the most successful nutritional strategies on Earth: mixotrophy. Sponges are integral members of shallow-water ecosystems and many host photosynthetic symbionts, but studies on mixotrophic sponges have focused primarily on species residing in high-light environments. Here, we quantify the contribution of photoautotrophy to the respiratory demand and total carbon diet of the sponge Chondrilla caribensis, which hosts symbiotic cyanobacteria and lives in low-light environments. Although the sponge is net heterotrophic at 20 m water depth, photosynthetically fixed carbon potentially provides up to 52% of the holobiont’s respiratory demand. When considering the total mixotrophic diet, photoautotrophy contributed an estimated 7% to total daily carbon uptake. Visualization of inorganic 13C- and 15N-incorporation using nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) at the single-cell level confirmed that a portion of nutrients assimilated by the prokaryotic community was translocated to host cells. Photoautotrophy can thus provide an important supplemental source of carbon for sponges, even in low-light habitats. This trophic plasticity may represent a widespread strategy for net heterotrophic sponges hosting photosymbionts, enabling the host to buffer against periods of nutritional stress.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131311709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01254-3
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01254-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 35654830
SN - 1751-7362
VL - 16
SP - 2076
EP - 2086
JO - ISME journal
JF - ISME journal
IS - 9
ER -