Sponge Ecology
There are about 9000 sponge species worldwide, and they have successfully expanded into diverse ecological niches in both freshwater and marine ecosystems. On coral reefs, where space is limited and there are abundant predators, many sponges use chemical defenses to deter predators and compete for space. I have studied the role of these chemicals as feeding deterrents to fish and invertebrate predators. In addition, at the College of Charleston I have projects on sponge larvae, the role of sponges in organic matter cycling on coral reefs, sponge exposure to microplastics, and the ecology of a very unique infaunal sponge that lives buried in the sediment.
