RUI: Assessing the Chemical Defenses of Caribbean Sponges

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Pawlik 9314145 Sponges are important components of benthic marine communities, particularly on coral reefs. Organic extracts of their tissues have yielded a wealth of unusual chemical compounds that are not known to be involved in primary metabolism. These secondary metabolites have a diversity of pharmacological effects in laboratory assays, but it is unclear why sponges produce them. The most commonly held theory is that these compounds are distasteful to potential predators. The proposed research will provide an assessment of the chemical defenses of Caribbean demo sponges, a group whose taxonomy and chemistry is fairly well described. The investigation will proceed within a theoretical framework established by previous research on the chemical ecology of terrestrial plants and marine algae. Overall, this research project represents the first systematic investigation of the chemical defenses of tropical marine sponges. The results will be useful in judging the general applicability of optimal defense theories based on studies of terrestrial ecosystems. ***