Role of sponge associated actinomycetes in the marine phosphorous biogeochemical cycles.

Abstract

Phosphorous that sustains marine life become inaccessible as most of them become insoluble due to the formation of complexes with cations and thus the availability of soluble phosphorous decreases to a greater extent. There are reports envisaging marine microbes to play a crucial role in solubilizing these phosphates by the excretion of organic acids, phosphatase and phytase enzymes. In spite of the action of these microbial products, an enormous quantity of insoluble phosphate precipitates to the ocean sediments thus posing a hindrance to the phosphorous biogeochemical cycle. It has been previously evidenced that local ecosystem e.g. coral reefs accomplish a faster cycling of insoluble phosphates. Thus the results of the present study put forth a possible hypothesis that sponge associated actinomycetes and on the whole microbial community of the coral reefs can play a potential role in solubilizing the phosphates and thus increasing the efficiency of phosphorous cycle. This present work opens a new door step for the in vivo study that can be focused on further possible mechanism of phosphate accumulation and solubilization by bacterial communities associated with benthic invertebrates.