• Biodiversity, environmental drivers, and sustainability of the global deep-sea sponge microbiome 

      Busch, Kathrin; Slaby, Beate M.; Bach, Wolfgang; Boetius, Antje; Clefsen, Ina; Colaço, Ana; Creemers, Marie; Cristobo, Javier; Federwisch, Luisa; Franke, Andre; Gavriilidou, Asimenia; Hethke, Andrea; Kenchington, Ellen; Mienis, Furu; Mills, Sadie; Riesgo, Ana; Ríos, Pilar; Roberts, Emyr Martyn; Sipkema, Detmer; Pita, Lucía; Schupp, Peter J.; Xavier, Joana R.; Rapp, Hans Tore; Hentschel, Ute (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)
      In the deep ocean symbioses between microbes and invertebrates are emerging as key drivers of ecosystem health and services. We present a large-scale analysis of microbial diversity in deep-sea sponges (Porifera) from ...
    • Community Composition and Habitat Characterization of a Rock Sponge Aggregation (Porifera, Corallistidae) in the Cantabrian Sea 

      Ríos, Pilar; Prado, Elena; Correia De Carvalho, Francisca; Sánchez, Francisco; Rodríguez-Basalo, Augusto; Xavier, Joana R.; Ibarrola, Teodoro P.; Cristobo, Javier (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2020)
      Deep-sea sponge-dominated communities are complex habitats considered hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. They are classified as Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem and are listed as threatened or declining as a ...
    • Genetic diversity, gene flow and hybridization in fan-shaped sponges (Phakellia spp.) in the North-East Atlantic deep sea 

      Taboada, Sergi; Ríos, Pilar; Mitchell, Alex; Cranston, Alex; Busch, Kathrin; Tonzo, Vanina; Cárdenas, Paco A.; Sánchez, Francisco; Leiva, Carlos; Koutsouveli, Vasiliki; Cristobo, Javier; Xavier, Joana R.; Hentschel, Ute; Rapp v/dødsbo, Hans Tore; Morrow, Christine; Drewery, Jim; Romero, Pedro E.; Arias, Maria Belén; Whiting, Connie; Riesgo, Ana (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)
      Deep-sea North Atlantic sponge grounds are crucial components of the marine fauna providing a key role in ecosystem functioning. To properly develop effective conservation and management plans, it is crucial to understand ...
    • Long distance dispersal and oceanographic fronts shape the connectivity of the keystone sponge Phakellia ventilabrum in the deep northeast Atlantic 

      Taboada, Sergi; Whiting, Connie; Wang, Shuangqiang; Ríos, Pilar; Davies, Andrew J.; Mienis, Furu; Kenchington, Ellen; Cárdenas, Paco A.; Cranston, Alex; Koutsouveli, Vasiliki; Cristobo, Javier; Rapp v/dødsbo, Hans Tore; Drewery, Jim; Baldó, Francisco; Morrow, Christine; Picton, Bernard; Xavier, Joana R.; Arias, Maria Belén; Leiva, Carlos; Riesgo, Ana (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)
      Little is known about dispersal in deep-sea ecosystems, especially for sponges, which are abundant ecosystem engineers. Understanding patterns of gene flow in deep-sea sponges is essential, especially in areas where rising ...
    • Rock sponges (lithistid Demospongiae) of the Northeast Atlantic seamounts, with description of ten new species 

      Correia De Carvalho, Francisca; Cárdenas, Paco; Ríos, Pilar; Cristobo, Javier; Rapp, Hans Tore; Xavier, Joana R. (Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2020)
      Background Lithistid demosponges, also known as rock sponges, are a polyphyletic group of sponges which are widely distributed. In the Northeast Atlantic (NEA), 17 species are known and the current knowledge on their ...