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Data associated with "Predator presence elicits a molecular sensory response in a sponge"

DeBiasse, Melissa1; Stubler, Amber2

Published Jul 08, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tx95x6bc1

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Jul 08, 2026 version files 118.67 MB

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Abstract

Predator-prey interactions in sponges (Porifera) encompass direct and non-consumptive effects, including inducible defenses following non-lethal grazing. It has been hypothesized that the ability to dissolve and burrow into calcium carbonate substrates to live endolithically evolved for predator avoidance in bioeroding sponges. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate sponge responses to predation and whether bioerosion is an inducible defense, remain poorly understood. We investigated the transcriptomic response of the bioeroding sponge, Cliona celata, to its gastropod predator, Seila adamsii. Sponges were exposed to three treatments: direct predation, predator chemical cues, and a predator-free control. We found that predation and chemical cues elicited significant differential gene expression compared to the control. Upregulation of synaptic genes in response to chemical cues, particularly those expressed in water-pumping choanocytes, suggests they are important primary sensory cells. Conversely, wound healing and extracellular matrix repair functional categories were upregulated in the predation treatment. While we identified the upregulation of functional categories previously implicated in bioerosion, we found no differential expression of carbonic anhydrases, a hypothesized driver of chemical bioerosion. These results demonstrate that despite not having a complete nervous system, C. celata possesses a molecular sensory pathway capable of distinguishing between direct predation and predator chemical cues.