fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Marine Biology › Article

Deep-sea sponges survive in complete darkness in ways we didn’t know before

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 719 words · By Alessandro N Garritano; Torsten Thomas
Marine Biology Environmental Conservation Deep-Sea Mining
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Marine Biology

Researchers have studied the Calyx species of deep-sea sponges, discovering that their microbial partners use both chemosynthesis and heterotrophy to survive in the deep ocean. The authors argue that these ecosystems are vital for carbon cycling but are currently threatened by deep-sea trawling and mining.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 13
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center88%
Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

When we think of marine life, we usually picture colourful coral reefs or dense seaweed forests filled with fish and other critters.

Why it matters

The ocean that comes to mind is the one touched by sunlight.

Common ground

By volume, roughly 95% of the ocean consists of the permanently dark, cold deep sea.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Researchers have studied the Calyx species of deep-sea sponges, discovering that their microbial partners use both chemosynthesis and heterotrophy to survive in the deep ocean. The authors argue that these ecosystems are vital for carbon cycling but are currently threatened by deep-sea trawling and mining.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/deep-sea-sponges-survive-in-complete-darkness-in-way…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 60% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
check_circle
Claim 1: “chemosynthesis... is commonly found in other deep-sea organisms, such as mussels and tubeworms living in hydrothermal vents”
CORROBORATED
Multiple authoritative sources confirm that chemosynthesis is the primary energy production method for organisms like giant tube worms and mussels at hydrothermal vents.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems rely on chemosynthesis to produce energy-rich organic molecules that are used as food by a diversity of organisms.
https://www.biointeractive.org/sites/default/files/TubeWorms…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 30, 2023 · In short, if photosynthesis is the production of energy using light, chemosynthesis is the production of energy using chemical compounds. These ...
https://schmidtocean.org/cruise-log-post/biology-of-deep-sea…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 18, 2022 · Plumes of the giant tube worms collect oxygen, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from the sea water. Then bacteria which live inside the worm ...
https://www.facebook.com/WoodsHoleOcean/posts/one-of-the-mos…
check_circle
Claim 2: “many sponges produce ammonia as one of their waste products.”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia and other scientific summaries confirm that sponges excrete ammonia/ammonium as a waste product.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The water that exits from the sponge carries waste products like ammonia, nitrogen and Carbon dioxide gas. This waste nitrogen may be fertilizing seaweeds and ...
https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-pro…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 15, 2019 · Sponges, like many other marine invertebrates, usually excrete ammonium as a waste product (Brusca and Brusca 1990). Therefore, the ...
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-20389-4_…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... waste products such as ammonia also diffuse. Archeocytes remove mineral particles that threaten to block the ostia, transport them through the mesohyl and ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge
check_circle
Claim 3: “Deep-sea marine sponges... form “gardens” that are among the largest ecosystems on the planet, some spanning thousands of square kilometres on the ocean floor.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources describe sprawling sponge reefs off British Columbia spanning hundreds to thousands of square kilometers.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2025 · Off British Columbia, sprawling sponge reefs can span more than 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) and are estimated to be thousands of ...
https://www.facebook.com/MBARInews/posts/continuously-in-awe…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 12, 2026 · ... sponges covering an area measuring 5.8 square miles (15 square kilometers). In some parts of the deep ocean where nutrients are scarce, seafloor ...
https://www.facebook.com/OceanExplorationResearch/posts/what…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 15, 2025 · Off British Columbia, sprawling sponge reefs can span more than 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) and are estimated to be thousands of ...
https://www.facebook.com/MBARInews/posts/the-water-coolers-o…
help
Claim 4: “With ammonia as the energy source, they use carbon dioxide dissolved in the water to build biomass”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this specific claim in the search results.
check_circle
Claim 5: “About 16% of their microbial partners use the familiar chemosynthesis process.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources report that approximately 16% of the microbial partners in Calyx sponges use chemosynthesis.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as deadly nightshade or belladonna, is a toxic perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_bella-donna
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Flowers, also known as blossoms and blooms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants. Typically, they are structured in four circular levels around the end of a stalk. These include: sepals…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The murders of Calyx and Beau Schenecker occurred on January 27, 2011, when 16-year-old Calyx and 13-year-old Beau Schenecker were found dead by police at their home in Tampa, Florida. Their mother, J…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Calyx_and_Beau_Sche…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 6: “the heterotrophic microbes in Calyx sponges have lots of enzymes specialised in breaking down complex compounds, such as xylan and pectin, which make up the hard-to-digest cell walls of algae.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 7: “By volume, roughly 95% of the ocean consists of the permanently dark, cold deep sea.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm that the deep sea (defined as deeper than 200m) comprises more than 90-95% of the ocean's volume.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In mathematics, particularly in mathematical analysis and measure theory, an approximately continuous function is a concept that generalizes the notion of continuous functions by replacing the ordinar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximately_continuous_funct…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — An approximation is anything that is intentionally similar but not exactly equal to something else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximation
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In computational learning theory, probably approximately correct (PAC) learning is a framework for mathematical analysis of machine learning. It was proposed in 1984 by Leslie Valiant. In this framewo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probably_approximately_correct…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 8: “In this study, we analysed the Calyx species of deep-sea sponges from a depth of 830 metres.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple recent web search results explicitly mention the study of Calyx species of deep-sea sponges from a depth of 830 metres.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus Geranium. The family includes both the genus Geranium (the cranesbills, or true ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraniaceae
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Heliotropium indicum, commonly known as Indian heliotrope or Indian turnsole, is an annual, hirsute plant. It has a curved arrangement of small flowers and velvety broad green leaves. Native to Asia a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliotropium_indicum
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sida cordifolia (‘ilima, flannel weed, bala, country mallow or heart-leaf sida) is a perennial subshrub of the mallow family Malvaceae native to India. It has naturalized throughout the world, and is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_cordifolia
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 9: “The United Nations has recognised deep-sea sponge gardens as vulnerable marine ecosystems”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 10: “The remaining 84% of microbial partners... use heterotrophy, which means consuming organic matter to generate energy and biomass”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided Wikipedia results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing deadly nightshade and a murder case) and do not contain information about sponge microbial heterotrophy.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as deadly nightshade or belladonna, is a toxic perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_bella-donna
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Flowers, also known as blossoms and blooms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants. Typically, they are structured in four circular levels around the end of a stalk. These include: sepals…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The murders of Calyx and Beau Schenecker occurred on January 27, 2011, when 16-year-old Calyx and 13-year-old Beau Schenecker were found dead by police at their home in Tampa, Florida. Their mother, J…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Calyx_and_Beau_Sche…
info
Claim 11: “Individual sponges can also pump and filter thousands of litres of water every day through their bodies.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'individual' and does not contain any factual data regarding sponge filtration rates.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from oth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · The meaning of INDIVIDUAL is of, relating to, or distinctively associated with an individual.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/individual
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — INDIVIDUAL definition: 1. a single person or thing, especially when compared to the group or set to which they belong: 2…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/individu…
info
Claim 12: “Our new study, published today in the journal Microbiome, shows sponges and their microbial partners also use a second strategy to make a living in the deep sea.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of generic advertisements and login pages for study tools (Study.com, StudyX) and does not mention the journal 'Microbiome' or the specific study on sponges.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Need a Study.com Account? Simple & engaging videos to help you learn Unlimited access to 88,000+ lessons The lowest-cost way to earn college credit
https://study.com/academy/login.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Yes, the AI Study Tool is designed to work across multiple devices including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. This ensures that you have seamless access to your study materials anytime, anywhere, m…
https://www.studley.ai/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The best AI study tool helps students understand concepts, organize study materials, and practice what they learn. StudyX combines homework help, AI notes, flashcards, quizzes, and writing tools in on…
https://studyx.ai/
schedule
Claim 13: “Deep-sea trawling physically destroys sponge gardens.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.