Bacteria in marine sponges harvest phosphorus for reef community

Significant accumulations of polyphosphate granules have been found in three common sponge species of the Caribbean coral reef, indicating that microorganisms that live on marine sponges are pulling phosphorus out of the water to feed themselves and survive in a deep-water environment where very few nutrients are available. This finding has important implications for understanding how phosphorus is sequestered and recycled in a reef environment.

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