Cited by 110Marine Sponges and Natural ProductsMarine Invertebrate Physiology and EcologyPhysiological and biochemical adaptations

Oxygen dynamics and transport in the Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba

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Hoffmann, Friederike, Røy, Hans, Bayer, Kristina, Hentschel, Ute, Pfannkuchen, Martin, Brümmer, Franz, de Beer, Dirk·2008·Marine Biology

Abstract

The Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba kept in aquaria or cultivation tanks can stop pumping for several hours or even days. To investigate changes in the chemical microenvironments, we measured oxygen profiles over the surface and into the tissue of pumping and non-pumping A. aerophoba specimens with Clark-type oxygen microelectrodes (tip diameters 18–30 μm). Total oxygen consumption rates of whole sponges were measured in closed chambers. These rates were used to back-calculate the oxygen distribution in a finite-element model. Combining direct measurements with calculations of diffusive flux and modeling revealed that the tissue of non-pumping sponges turns anoxic within 15 min, with the exception of a 1 mm surface layer where oxygen intrudes due to molecular diffusion over the sponge surface. Molecular diffusion is the only transport mechanism for oxygen into non-pumping sponges, which allows total oxygen consumption rates of 6–12 μmol cm −3 sponge day −1 . Sponges of different sizes had similar diffusional uptake rates, which is explained by their similar surface/volume ratios. In pumping sponges, oxygen consumption rates were between 22 and 37 μmol cm −3 sponge day −1 , and the entire tissue was oxygenated. Combining different approaches of direct oxygen measurement in living sponges with a dynamic model, we can show that tissue anoxia is a direct function of the pumping behavior. The sponge-microbe system of A. aerophoba thus has the possibility to switch actively between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism by stopping the water flow for more than 15 min. These periods of anoxia will greatly influence physiological variety and activity of the sponge microbes. Detailed knowledge about the varying chemical microenvironments in sponges will help to develop protocols to cultivate sponge-associated microbial lineages and improve our understanding of the sponge-microbe-system.

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  • Internal anoxia is a common feature of sponge physiology.

    “Internal anoxia, however, does appear to be a common feature of sponge physiology (34,35).”

    From Oxygen requirements of the earliest animals (2014) · cites this paper as [35]

    The Abstract and the Discussion section on oxygen dynamics report internal anoxia in non-pumping A. aerophoba, with tissue becoming anoxic within 15 minutes after pumping stops. They do not establish that internal anoxia is common across sponges; the Discussion also notes that prolonged non-pumping was not observed in an in situ study of A. aerophoba unless the sponge was disturbed. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Hoffmann, F., Røy, H., Bayer, K., Hentschel, U., Pfannkuchen, M., Brümmer, F., & de Beer, D.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (DE)
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • University of Würzburg (DE)
  • University of Stuttgart (DE)
Corresponding author
Hoffmann, Friederike
Venue
Marine Biology
Published
2008-01-22
Volume
153
Issue
6
Pages
1257-1264
ISSN
  • 0025-3162 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-1793
OpenAlex
W2112561701
Cited by
107
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
FWCI
5.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Marine Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biotechnology › Marine Sponges and Natural Products
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
Keywords
Aplysina aerophoba, oxygen transport, tissue anoxia, oxygen consumption rate, molecular diffusion, finite element model, aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, chemical microenvironment

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