TY  - JOUR
AB  - The North Atlantic deep-water polynoid worm Neopolynoe chondrocladiae is involved in an exceptional symbiotic relationship with two hosts: the carnivorous sponges Chondrocladia robertballardi and Chondrocladia virgata. While this is an obligate symbiotic relationship, its real nature is unclear. We used a multidisciplinary approach to narrow down the type of symbiotic relationship between symbiont and hosts. Molecular connectivity analyses using COI and 16S suggest that N. chondrocladiae has high potential for dispersal, connecting sites hundreds of kilometres apart, likely aided by oceanographic currents. Microbial analyses on different anatomical parts of five Chondrocladia species suggest that the presence of the worm in C. robertballardi does not affect the microbiome of the sponge. MicroCT analysis on N. chondrocladiae show that it has dorsally oriented parapodia, which might prevent the worm from getting trapped in the sponge. A faecal pellet recovered from the worm suggests that the polynoid feeds on the crustacean prey captured by the sponge, something corroborated by our stable isotope analysis. Light and confocal microscopy images suggest that N. chondrocladiae elytra produce bioluminescence. We propose that the worm might use bioluminescence as a lure for prey (increasing the food available for both the sponge and the polynoid) and thus fuelling a mutualistic relationship. 
A1  - Taboada, Sergi
A1  - Serra Silva, Ana
A1  - Díez-Vives, Cristina
A1  - Neal, Lenka
A1  - Cristobo, Javier
A1  - Ríos, Pilar
A1  - Hestetun, Jon Thomassen
A1  - Clark, Brett
A1  - Rossi, Maria Eleonora
A1  - Junoy, Juan
A1  - Navarro, Joan
A1  - Riesgo, Ana
DO  - 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa146
JO  - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
N1  - World Polychaeta Database (WPolyDb). Journal paywall. In print Sept 2021, efirst January 2021
IS  - 1
SP  - 295
EP  - 318
C1  - 193(1): 295–318
TI  - Sleeping with the enemy: unravelling the symbiotic relationships between the scale worm Neopolynoe chondrocladiae (Annelida: Polynoidae) and its carnivorous sponge hosts
UR  - https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/193/1/295/6055457
VL  - 193
PY  - 2020
Y2  - 2026-10-05
ER  -