title: Cultivation of explants of the marine sponge Crambe crambe in closed systems.
abstract: Explants of the sponge Crambe crambe were cultured in natural seawater, with or without marine microalga (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) in discontinuous flow through systems and in continuous flow-through systems (DFTHS and CFTHS, respectively). Growth was measured as the increase in underwater weight. In the experiment carried out in the CFTHS, the explants average underwater weight increased by up to 1380% of the initial weight in 22-45 days. Growth in DFTHS was much slower producing a gain of up to an average value of 322% of the initial weight in 100-210 days. Growth kinetics varied considerably for different explants. Explants grew fastest in the first 10-days of subculture. The sponges grew better in CFTHS compared with the DFTHS. The high growth rates observed in CFTHS suggest that this technique is a promising method for culturing C. crambe in closed systems.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Engineering Department, University of Almería, 04071 Almería, Spain. ebelarbi@ual.es
authors.forename: El Hassan
authors.initials: el H
authors.lastname: Belarbi
authors.forename: M Ramírez
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: Ma Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cerón García
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contreras Gómez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García Camacho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molina Grima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019149:Bioreactors; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017377:Diatoms / Q000502:physiology*; D018504:Ecological Systems, Closed; D011161:Porifera / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*