Quantitative trends in sponge ecology research

It is almost dogmatic that sponges are one of the most relevant groups in benthic marine communities, a statement generally based upon their diversity and abundance in natural communities. But beyond their conspicuousness, do we really know the role that sponges play in nature? Using a series of productivity indicators, this review evaluates the relevance of sponge research to the general scientific community, particularly the contribution of sponge ecology to the broader science of ecology. The relevance of sponge research ranked second out of eight taxonomic groups. Ecology accounted for most of the sponge research output but it ranked poorly compared to the relative importance of the ecological literature in the remaining taxonomic groups. Sponge ecology focused primarily on the species level of organization even though the relevance of these studies fell well below expected. This review suggests that the ecological relevance of sponges is insufficiently supported by ecological data and would benefit from better scientific support. Sponge ecology has the opportunity to contribute to the broader science of ecology in numerous topics where sponge research may be particularly relevant. Broader ecological contributions will help verify the ecological relevance that the great diversity and abundance of sponges suggest.