Ecosystem engineers on tropical reefs in transition: giant barrel sponges in the Anthropocene

Tropical coral reef ecosystems are changing rapidly to an alternative state in which sponges are the dominant living habitat, with giant barrel sponges (GBSs, Xestospongia spp.) representing the largest biomass. Unlike other benthic reef organisms, GBSs are ecosystem engineers that pump large volume...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of experimental biology Vol. 228; no. 10
Main Author Pawlik, Joseph R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 15.05.2025
Subjects
Animals
Climate Change
Coral Reefs
Ecosystem
Porifera - anatomy & histology
Porifera - physiology
Seawater
Tropical Climate
Invertebrate physiology
Sponge biology
Sponge feeding
Benthic–pelagic coupling
Coral reef ecology
Aquatic biology
Xestospongia
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Summary:Tropical coral reef ecosystems are changing rapidly to an alternative state in which sponges are the dominant living habitat, with giant barrel sponges (GBSs, Xestospongia spp.) representing the largest biomass. Unlike other benthic reef organisms, GBSs are ecosystem engineers that pump large volumes of seawater, disrupting the benthic boundary layer and directing flow away from the reef surface and into the water column. The morphology and size of GBSs have made them particularly good experimental subjects to study the hydraulics of sponge pumping and the transformation that occurs as seawater is processed by the sponge holobiont (sponge cells and microbial symbionts). This Review is part of a series marking the 100th birthday of The Company of Biologists, which was founded by marine biologist George Parker Bidder III, who primarily worked on sponges. The Review provides an integrative assessment of research on GBSs with comparisons with what is known about other marine sponges. Recent discoveries suggest that ancient lineages of morphologically indistinguishable GBSs are responding to environmental changes over sub-decadal time periods to rapidly populate reefs stripped of coral cover by climate change. If GBSs remain robust to rising seawater temperatures, they will become the greatest source of habitat complexity on reefs of the future, so knowledge of their biology and physiology will be important to our understanding of these ecosystems.
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ISSN:0022-0949
1477-9145
1477-9145
DOI:10.1242/jeb.250082