Microbial Symbionts of Antarctic Marine Benthic Invertebrates

The microbial colonization of living surfaces may be affected by several environmental and biological factors and may play an important role in the development and evolution of the holobiont. Antarctica, as an extreme and isolated environment, offers a unique opportunity to study the peculiar and often strict interactions that are established between a benthic host and its symbionts. Despite this, to date the association between microbes and Antarctic benthic invertebrates has been only seldom investigated, resulting in fragmented and poor information. This chapter will be devoted to showcase our current knowledge on prokaryotic (Bacteria and Archaea) and eukaryotic (yeasts and diatoms) microbial symbionts of Antarctic benthic invertebrate hosts, including mainly Porifera and, at to a lesser extent, Cnidaria, Echinodermata and Annelida.