Diving into the world of sea sponges with Professor James Bell

James Bell is a Professor of Marine Biology at Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka, and a huge fan of sea sponges. Check out his colourful underwater photos and videos on his Instagram page, ⁠@sponge_ecology⁠, where he has over 40,000 followers.

James has scuba dived around the world researching this ancient, vibrant, intriguing, but sometimes overlooked marine species. (We both agree that charismatic megafauna – e.g. dolphins, whales, sharks – often get a disproportionate amount of attention.)

In this episode we talk about the characteristics and role of sea sponges, where you can find them, and how they're responding to marine heatwaves and increased levels of sedimentation (e.g. Wellington's current wastewater treatment plant disaster).

James also talks about life as a marine biologist: diving in some of the world's coolest places, teaching the next generation of marine scientists, and sharing information to help people better understand and advocate for our underwater world.

Glossary:

Nudibranch: soft-bodied marine gastropods (sea slugs)

Bioactive: something that has a biological effect on living organisms

Spicules: needle-like elements produced by sponges to provide structural support and protection against predators

Glass sponges: sponges with skeletons made out of spicules (see above)

Image: James's award-winning 'sponge point of view' photo taken with an Insta360 camera from inside a barrel sponge in Indonesia. (James Bell)

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Thanks for listening! :-)