Filtering activity of Spongia officinalis var. adriatica (Schmidt) (Porifera, Demospongiae) on bacterioplankton: implications for bioremediation of polluted seawater.
A study on the filtering activity has been carried out on reared specimens of the demosponge Spongia officinalis var. adriatica coming from an off-shore farm displaced off the Apulian coast (Ionian Sea). The experience was carried out under laboratory conditions, by using natural seawater collected from the sponge environment. The study demonstrates a high efficiency of the sponge in removing bacteria. Bacterial concentration significantly decreases in presence of the sponge, with a marked drop after 2 h from the start of the experience. The maximum clearance rate was 210 ml h(-1) g(-1) DW at 60 min. Retention efficiency reached the highest value of 61% at 120 min. The bacterial density removed by the S. officinalis filtering activity was 12.3 +/- 1.8 x 10(4) cells ml(-1) corresponding to a biomass of about 11.7 +/- 1.4 microg Cl(-1). The sponge fed preferentially large- and medium-size bacteria, whereas the small ones are fed after the removal of the largest size categories. The results obtained suggest that S. offcinalis is a suitable species for marine environmental bioremediation.
Stabili
Loredana
L
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università di Lecce, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni - 73100 Lecce, Italy; Istituto per l'Ambiente Marino Costiero-Sezione di Taranto-CNR, via Roma, 3-74100 Taranto, Italy. Electronic address: loredana.stabili@iamc.cnr.it.
Licciano
Margherita
M
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università di Lecce, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni - 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Giangrande
Adriana
A
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali, Università di Lecce, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni - 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Longo
Caterina
C
Dipartimento di Zoologia, Università di Bari, Via Orabona, 4 - 70125 Bari, Italy.
Mercurio
Maria
M
Dipartimento di Zoologia, Università di Bari, Via Orabona, 4 - 70125 Bari, Italy.
Marzano
Carlotta Nonnis
CN
Dipartimento di Zoologia, Università di Bari, Via Orabona, 4 - 70125 Bari, Italy.
Corriero
Giuseppe
G
Dipartimento di Zoologia, Università di Bari, Via Orabona, 4 - 70125 Bari, Italy.
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D010933:Plankton; D011161:Porifera / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D012623:Seawater; D014876:Water Pollution