Other aspects of microbial metabolism in sponges. In con- trast to the case for several major chemical elements (namely, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur), to our knowledge virtually noth- ing is known about phosphorus cycling within marine sponges. We assume that sufficient phosphorus is obtained from the sponge’s diet of microorganisms.The degradation of halogenated chemicals within the Med- iterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba was the subject of an interesting recent study (3). This and other sponges are rich sources of brominated compounds such as bromophenols and bromoindoles, and it was predicted that microorganisms within such sponges may be capable of dehalogenation. Indeed, by establishing enrichment cultures from sponge tissue, in the presence or absence of various electron acceptors, the authors of that study were able to demonstrate reductive debromina- tion under methanogenic and sulfidogenic, but not denitrify- ing, conditions
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