Motivated by a series of mass mortalities, a team of marine biologists voyaged across the Caribbean in search of a poorly understood organism – the vase sponge. Join Dr Sarah Griffiths (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Prof. Donald Behringer (University of Florida) as they discuss the complex population genetic structures they uncovered, and the potential impact of their spongy discoveries on marine conservation and restoration efforts.

Associated article: Oceanographic features and limited dispersal shape the population genetic structure of the vase sponge Ircinia campana in the Greater Caribbean

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0344-6