Future ocean conditions induce necrosis, microbial dysbiosis and nutrient cycling imbalance in the reef sponge Stylissa flabelliformis

Updated: 2023-10-11

The health of the sponge Stylissa flabelliformis under ocean warming and ocean accidification conditions was assessed using a combination of meagenomics and targeted genomics. The study aimed to assess: to what extent changes in the sponge health upon exposure to both stressors are reflected in the microbial compositions of S. flabelliformis how ocean warming and ocean acidification affect the ocerall microbial functional repertoire if specific functional sugnatures originating from the microbial communities could explain potential effects on the sponge holobiont. Sponges were collected on Davies Reef on the Great Barrier Reef in 2014, between June and September.