Sponges and Bacteria Work Together to Support the Reef Ecosystem (IMAGE)

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Sponges and Bacteria Work Together to Support the Reef Ecosystem

Caption

Phosphorus is a nutrient essential for life, but it is at very low concentrations in the water around coral reefs. The new study reports that phosphorus is being captured by bacteria that live in the sponges and turned into polyphosphate, a form of phosphorus readily usable by the reef community. Seen here is a marine biologist with a giant barrel sponge.

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Image courtesy of Andia Chaves-Fonnegra

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