RESUMO
Bacterial diversity of two Lake Baikal endemic sponges characterized by different life forms, branching Lubomirskia baicalensis and cortical Baikalospongia sp., was studied using the method of 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene fragments. In the communities associated with L. baicalensis and Baikalospongia sp., 426 and 428 OTUs, respectively, were identified. In microbial associations of these spong- es, 24 bacterial phyla were identified, with predominance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Analysis of the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities of the sponges was carried out by search of the dominant phylotypes within the phylum level cluster. Comparison of bacterial associations of the sponges with Lake Baikal bacterioplankton revealed both the shared OTUs and the unique ones characteristic of the studied species.