Sponges in the brackish lake
Marine sponges are recognized as important reservoirs of microbial diversity and as useful models for the study of host-associated microbial communities in marine ecosystems. In transitional environments, characterized by marked physicochemical gradients, the relative influence of environmental conditions and host-related factors on microbial community composition is still not fully understood.In this study, we investigated the bacterial communities associated with three co-occurring sponge species, Raspaciona aculeata, Paraleucilla magna, and Erylus discophorus, and compared them with those detected in the surrounding environmental matrices (interfacial water and interfacial sediment) from Lake Faro (Strait of Messina, Italy).