Connectivity and Adaptation Patterns of the Deep-Sea Ground-Forming Sponge <i>Geodia hentscheli</i> Across Its Entire Distribution

Geodia hentscheli, a species forming sponge grounds in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, is a common deep-sea organism, that plays a fundamental role in forming biogenic habitats. However, there is little information about gene flow and adaptation patterns of this species, which is crucial to develop effective management/conservation plans under current global change scenarios. Here, we generated ddRADseq data from 110 specimens of G. hentscheli, together with microbial profiling, transcriptomics, and metatranscriptomics for a selection of specimens to investigate their genetic diversity, molecular connectivity, and local adaptations. Sampling covered the species' entire distribution within a wide bathymetric range. We obtained 1,115 neutral SNPs and identified long-distance genetic connectivity among regions separated 1,000s of km, but strong genetic structure segregating populations by depth at ca. 1,300 m, in line with our microbial analyses. Coalescent analyses inferred the split of these depth-related genetic entities ∼10 KYA, coincident with the last postglacial maximum. Analyses of SNPs under selection, combined with transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic data highlight the presence of several sponge genes and microbial metabolic pathways involved in adaptation to depth, including heat shock proteins and fatty acids, among others. The physiological plasticity of the sponge and its microbiome as a function of depth suggest the existence of a host-microbiome metabolic compensation for G. hentscheli. This study provides a multiscale paradigmatic example of the depth-differentiation hypothesis, a phenomenon mainly caused by changes in environmental conditions at different depths, mainly related to the presence of water masses with different characteristics that drive local adaptations.

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Journal
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Published
2025-06-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf145
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Marine Sponges and Natural Products
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.47

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article

Connectivity and Adaptation Patterns of the Deep-Sea Ground-Forming Sponge Geodia hentscheli Across Its Entire Distribution

Francisca C Carvalho, Ana Riesgo, Marta Turon, Emyr Martyn Roberts et al.
2 citations
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Marine Sponges and Natural Products
2.47
article

Connectivity and Adaptation Patterns of the Deep-Sea Ground-Forming Sponge Geodia hentscheli Across Its Entire Distribution

Francisca C Carvalho, Ana Riesgo, Marta Turon, Emyr Martyn Roberts, Sergi Taboada, Joana R. Xavier, Cristina Díez‐Vives, Shuangqiang Wang, David J. Combosch, Andrew J. Davies, Paco Cárdenas, María Belén Arias, Ellen Kenchington, Carles Galià‐Camps, Vasiliki Koutsouveli, Marta Martín-Huete
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Geodia hentscheli, a species forming sponge grounds in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, is a common deep-sea organism, that plays a fundamental role in forming biogenic habitats. However, there is little information about gene flow and adaptation patterns of this species, which is crucial to develop effective management/conservation plans under current global change scenarios. Here, we generated ddRADseq data from 110 specimens of G. hentscheli, together with microbial profiling, transcriptomics, and metatranscriptomics for a selection of specimens to investigate their genetic diversity, molecular connectivity, and local adaptations. Sampling covered the species' entire distribution within a wide bathymetric range. We obtained 1,115 neutral SNPs and identified long-distance genetic connectivity among regions separated 1,000s of km, but strong genetic structure segregating populations by depth at ca. 1,300 m, in line with our microbial analyses. Coalescent analyses inferred the split of these depth-related genetic entities ∼10 KYA, coincident with the last postglacial maximum. Analyses of SNPs under selection, combined with transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic data highlight the presence of several sponge genes and microbial metabolic pathways involved in adaptation to depth, including heat shock proteins and fatty acids, among others. The physiological plasticity of the sponge and its microbiome as a function of depth suggest the existence of a host-microbiome metabolic compensation for G. hentscheli. This study provides a multiscale paradigmatic example of the depth-differentiation hypothesis, a phenomenon mainly caused by changes in environmental conditions at different depths, mainly related to the presence of water masses with different characteristics that drive local adaptations.

Molecular Biology and EvolutionVol. 42(7)
Uppsala University (SE), Ceres (US), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (CA), Natural History Museum (GB), Bangor University (GB), Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN), University of Rhode Island (US), Universidade do Porto (PT), Universidad de Alcalá (ES), Bedford Institute of Oceanography (CA), GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE), Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES), Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (ES), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (ES), Norwegian Institute of Emotion-focused Therapy (NO), University of Bergen (NO), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), University of Guam (GU)
Biodiversa+, European Commission, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Fundación Biodiversidad, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Environment Research Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Marine Sponges and Natural Products
2.47
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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