Ozsvath and Szabo have established an algebraic relationship, in the form of
a spectral sequence, between the reduced Khovanov homology of (the mirror of) a
link L in S^3 and the Heegaard Floer homology of its double-branched cover.
This relationship has since been recast by the authors as a specific instance
of a broader connection between Khovanov- and Heegaard Floer-type homology
theories, using a version of Heegaard Floer homology for sutured manifolds
developed by Juhasz. In the present work we prove the naturality of the
spectral sequence under certain elementary TQFT operations, using a
generalization of Juhasz's surface decomposition theorem valid for decomposing
surfaces geometrically disjoint from an imbedded framed link.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figure
