Bacterial composition of sponges, sediment and seawater in enclosed and open marine lakes in Ha Long Bay Vietnam

A study of bacterial communities in sponges, sediment, and seawater from Ha Long Bay's marine lakes reveals distinct microbial compositions influenced by environmental conditions. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes dominated the sponge Spheciospongia solida, while Spongia ceylonensis hosted Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria. Notably, both water and S. ceylonensis showed higher Synechococcus abundances in an enclosed lake with low pH, suggesting this cyanobacterium may aid sponges in adapting to such conditions. The research used 16S rRNA gene barcoded pyrosequencing to analyze microbial diversity across two open and one enclosed marine lake, highlighting the potential role of Synechococcus in low-pH environments.

Cleary, D. F. R., Ferreira, M. R. S., Bat, N. K., Polónia, A. R. M., Gomes, N. C. M., & de Voogd, N. J. (2019). Bacterial composition of sponges, sediment and seawater in enclosed and open marine lakes in Ha Long Bay Vietnam. Marine Biology Research, 16(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2019.1702214