Ocean depth modifies host-microbiome ecology and evolution
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A major unsolved question in ecology and evolution is how similar free-living and symbiotic microbial communities are. In marine systems, depth homogenises free-living communities due to stronger dispersal and weaker environmental filtering compared to surface waters. We show that symbiotic communities of marine sponges follow a different pattern, with a subset of sponge species mirroring the increased similarity with depth seen in their free-living counterparts, while others remain highly host-specific both in shallow and deep waters. Moreover, in deep waters, more phylogenetically similar hosts harbor more similar microbiomes, yet host-symbiont cophylogeny nearly vanishes. This reveals two contrasting eco-evolutionary assembly rules: in more constant environments like the deep sea, community assembly is driven by host and environmental filtering with minimal signature of coevolution, whereas in variable environments, like shallow waters, host-symbiont coevolution is strong and key to maintain host-specific microbiomes.
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Ocean depth modifies host-microbiome ecology and evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.761184v1
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Ocean depth modifies host-microbiome ecology and evolution | bioRxiv
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Ocean depth modifies host-microbiome ecology and evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.761184v1
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Ocean depth modifies host-microbiome ecology and evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.761184v1
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