A wide range of associations between sponges and other taxa is reported from all biogeographic regions of the world but their occurrence is strongly evident mainly in tropical areas. Some examples are here presented from the Marine Protected Area of Bunaken (North Sulawesi, Indonesia), considering relationships between sponges and polychaetes, barnacles, octocorals and algae. The examples show a wide range of relationships, from cases in which the two partners live together but independently, to relationships in which the two partners are deeply interconnected to form a unique symbiotic super-organism. We suggest that sponges should be considered as a hotspot of biodiversity not only for the huge number of hidden organisms they host, very often still undescribed, but also for the complex evolutionary histories that generally characterize these associations.
Reef sponges as hosts of biodiversity: cases from North Sulawesi
CERRANO, CARLO;BAVESTRELLO, GIORGIO
2006-01-01
Abstract
A wide range of associations between sponges and other taxa is reported from all biogeographic regions of the world but their occurrence is strongly evident mainly in tropical areas. Some examples are here presented from the Marine Protected Area of Bunaken (North Sulawesi, Indonesia), considering relationships between sponges and polychaetes, barnacles, octocorals and algae. The examples show a wide range of relationships, from cases in which the two partners live together but independently, to relationships in which the two partners are deeply interconnected to form a unique symbiotic super-organism. We suggest that sponges should be considered as a hotspot of biodiversity not only for the huge number of hidden organisms they host, very often still undescribed, but also for the complex evolutionary histories that generally characterize these associations.
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