All articles tagged with #chondrosia reniformis
In Marina Palamós, five Mediterranean sponge species were transplanted into a polluted harbor. Four failed, but the chicken kidney sponge (Chondrosia reniformis) survived 91.7% over 455 days and reproduced by creeping and fission, suggesting native sponges could aid harbor cleanup by filtering pollutants and supporting habitat restoration.
Researchers identified the Mediterranean sponge Chondrosia reniformis as the sole species among five tested that survived and thrived after transplantation into a degraded marina, showing movement, biomass stabilization, and natural cloning that increased its numbers from 24 to 40. Using computer vision and Life Boosting Units—plates of recycled ceramic on metal structures with calcium carbonate—the sponge acts as a habitat engineer and could underpin harbour restoration, though it is intended as a foundation alongside broader re-naturalisation strategies. The study, led by Manuel Maldonado and Carlota Escarré of CEAB-CSIC Blanes in collaboration with Ocean Ecostructures, appears in Frontiers in Marine Science.