Florida Bay nutrient budgets have shown that the majority of existing and influent nitrogen (N) is in organic forms. Consequently, local remineralization processes have been found to regulate the supply of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). Sponges have dominated benthic animal biomass in Florida Bay and are known to influence local DIN concentrations through remineralization organic matter, yet the role of these organisms in...

Sponge biomass represents the largest heterotrophic component of benthic biota in the Florida Bay ecosystem. These organisms can significantly alter the water quality of their surrounding environment through biogeochemical transformations of nutrient elements resulting from their dynamic pumping, water filtration, and respiration processes. Ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrate plus nitrite (NO 3 − + NO 2 − ; NO x − ) fluxes were obt...

Sponges are conspicuous and abundant within the benthic fauna on Caribbean reefs. The ability of these organisms to efficiently capture carbon from particulate sources is well known and the importance of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) uptake has been recognized for several species. We surveyed DOC ingestion by seven sponge species common to Florida Keys reefs using nondisruptive sampling methods on undisturbed individuals. Thr...