Since the discovery of the sponge Haliclona sp. at Rottnest Island in 1989, new populations have been identified in southern Western Australia, at locations Bremer Bay, Hamelin Bay and Jurien Bay. Samples from these four locations were collected and investigated for the production of the bioactive compound salicylihalamide A. These collections represent a sponge distribution that covers 1,200km of the coastline. During collection, the depth of each sponge, water temperature and sponge size was also recorded. Two morphologies of the original songe have been identified, one with a deep green coloration, the second with a brown coloration. Chemical extraction and analysis was conducted to determine the concentration of the salicylihalamide A compound, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ultra violet (UV) detection and mass spectrometry (MS). Correlations between the concentration of the compound and water temperature, size and depth of the sponge sample origin was also examined. The objectives of this research were 1. to determine whether both morphologies of Haliclona sp. produce salicylihalamide A 2. to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of salicylihalamide A production in Haliclona sp.

This record is derived from DEC Marine Policy Branch Endnote library and spatially referenced SIER Database.

Samples of sponges were collected to assess the differences in abundance and diversity of invetebrate taxa from Ningaloo Reef (tropical) and Rottnest Island (temperate), Western Australia. The immediate habitat and substrate were sampled to assess any differences in faunal communities from surrounding habitats to sponge-associated fauna. Invertebrate communities were quantified from 11 sponge species across eight functional morphologies, and a total of 3966 individuals from 125 taxa were extracted. Four out of the 11 sponges supported higher fauna abundance compared to their surrounding substrate. Photographs of the sponges were taken in situ prior to collection with a numbered calico bag being placed over the entire sponge. A flat blade scraper was used to remove the sponge from the substrate and then sealed underwater. Sponge size (volume), % of internal space, minimum diameter of internal space, and gross morphological complexity were determined. Substrate type included sand, rubble, consolidated reef and macroalgae. See Chin etal (2020) for further descriptions of the methods and materials.

Studies of Porifera (sponges) and SQ stinger (Caryhdea xaymacana) in Western Australian waters including all marine parks.

The survey comprises two streams of data, including (1) the availability of different attachment sites and (2) the algal composition of abalone attachment sites ('homesites'). The survey was conducted at three sites at each of three regions on the east coast of Tasmania.

Transcriptomic analysis of sponges that have been exposed to different environmental conditions can improve our understanding of molecular stress response pathways and enhance our ability to effectively manage these ecologically important filter feeders. Two common and widely distributed Indo-Pacific sponge species—Carteriospongia foliascens and Cliona orientalis were collected in May 2015 from Fantome Island and Pelorus Island in the Great Barrier Reef. Since C. orientalis is a bio-eroding sponge, ten C. orientalis drill cores (* 5cmin diameter) were collected from a single individual growing on a dead colony of Porites sp. An individual of C.foliascens was cut into ten pieces (see Pineda et al. 2016). Sponges were healed and acclimated under natural light and flowthrough seawater for 4 weeks before experiments were performed. Sponges were subjected to five different treatments at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) National Sea Simulator: (i) decreased salinity, (ii) elevated temperature, (iii) elevated suspended sediment concentrations(SSCs) and sediment deposition, (iv) light attenuation, and(v) no stress control. Further details on these experiments can be found in Pineda et al. (2016). Transcriptome sequences were assembled for C. foliascens and C. ori-entalis and from the C. orientalis holobiont, i.e., host and symbiont, a partial reference transcriptome for Gerakladium endoclionum was constructed. Further details are found in the linked paper below Strehlow et al. (2021).

Marine reserves are becoming progressively more important as anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, but we have little baseline information for most marine environments. In this study, we focus on the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, particularly the carbonate banks and terraces of the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise which have been designated a Key Ecological Feature (KEF). We use a species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys to the CMR to address several questions relevant to marine management: 1) Are carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features associated with biodiversity hotspots? 2) Can environmental (depth, substrate hardness, slope) or biogeographic (east vs west) variables help explain local and regional differences in community structure? 3) Do sponge communities differ among individual raised geomorphic features? Approximately 750 sponge specimens were collected in the Oceanic Shoals CMR and assigned to 348 species, of which only 18% included taxonomically described species. Between eastern and western areas of the CMR, there was no difference between sponge species richness or assemblages on raised geomorphic features. Among individual raised geomorphic features, sponge assemblages were significantly different, but species richness was not. Species richness showed no linear relationships with measured environmental factors, but sponge assemblages were weakly associated with several environmental variables including mean depth and mean backscatter (east and west) and mean slope (east only). These patterns of sponge diversity are applied to support the future management and monitoring of this region, particularly noting the importance of spatial scale in biodiversity assessments and associated management strategies. Citation: Przeslawski, R., Alvarez, B., Kool, J., Bridge, T., Caley, M.J., Nichol, S. (2015) Implications of Sponge Biodiversity Patterns for the Management of a Marine Reserve in Northern Australia. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141813. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141813