Sponge Lab
Comparative Structure and Functions:
Sponges are very primitive so they do not have many advanced features. Sponges can reproduce sexually and asexually however. Different species of sponges have one of the three types of sponge skeletons: calcareous laminae, organic filaments, and siliceous and calcareous spicule. Sponges are so basic that they do not even have symmetry. They digest, circulate, respirate, and excrete via diffusion.
Taxonomy:
Sponges are in the phylum Porifera, meaning “pore bearer”. There are approximately 5,000-10,000 species in the phylum. Porifera is divided into four classes based on their skeletal structure: Hexactinellida, or glass sponges with silicate spicules; Calcarea, or sponges with calcite skeletons; Demospongiae, or sponges with silicate spicules or spongin fibers within their membrane; and Archaeocyatha, ancient sponges which are extinct now. Distinguishing features of Porifera are that they have water intake and outlet openings connected by chambers lined with choanocytes, and they can remold their bodies. Like cnidarians (jellyfish, etc.) and ctenophores (comb jellies), and unlike all other known metazoans, sponges' bodies consist of a non-living jelly-like mass sandwiched between two main layers of cells.
Ecology:
Sponges are important aspects of aquatic ecology. They usually lie on the sea floor. Many of them are very large. Sponges are actually habitats for many creatures, such as snails, sea stars, and shrimp, due to their large size. These serve as examples of commensalism. Sponges will also house and form a bond with algae, bacteria, and some protists. What these organisms do, is they provide oxygen and food for the sponge, and in return, the sponge provides an environment so that they don’t die. Essentially, it is a partnership between the two. Sponges are very simple, yet interesting creatures, and that if they didn’t exist, much of the aquatic ecosystem would collapse.
Sponges are very primitive so they do not have many advanced features. Sponges can reproduce sexually and asexually however. Different species of sponges have one of the three types of sponge skeletons: calcareous laminae, organic filaments, and siliceous and calcareous spicule. Sponges are so basic that they do not even have symmetry. They digest, circulate, respirate, and excrete via diffusion.
Taxonomy:
Sponges are in the phylum Porifera, meaning “pore bearer”. There are approximately 5,000-10,000 species in the phylum. Porifera is divided into four classes based on their skeletal structure: Hexactinellida, or glass sponges with silicate spicules; Calcarea, or sponges with calcite skeletons; Demospongiae, or sponges with silicate spicules or spongin fibers within their membrane; and Archaeocyatha, ancient sponges which are extinct now. Distinguishing features of Porifera are that they have water intake and outlet openings connected by chambers lined with choanocytes, and they can remold their bodies. Like cnidarians (jellyfish, etc.) and ctenophores (comb jellies), and unlike all other known metazoans, sponges' bodies consist of a non-living jelly-like mass sandwiched between two main layers of cells.
Ecology:
Sponges are important aspects of aquatic ecology. They usually lie on the sea floor. Many of them are very large. Sponges are actually habitats for many creatures, such as snails, sea stars, and shrimp, due to their large size. These serve as examples of commensalism. Sponges will also house and form a bond with algae, bacteria, and some protists. What these organisms do, is they provide oxygen and food for the sponge, and in return, the sponge provides an environment so that they don’t die. Essentially, it is a partnership between the two. Sponges are very simple, yet interesting creatures, and that if they didn’t exist, much of the aquatic ecosystem would collapse.