a.k.a. “Pore bearers,” or sponges
By Albert Chen and Anne Ning
http://www.southerncrafter.com/Bath%20Puff%20Sponges%20Assorted.gif
Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. 7th ed. San Francisco: Pearson, Benjamin Cummings, 2005.
(textbook used on all slides)
http://www.southerncrafter.com/Bath%20Puff%20Sponges%20Assorted.gif
Sponges
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
http://blogs.discovery.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/29/ejb_051802_038_thumb_2.jpg
Body Cavity
One central cavity called a
spongocoel
 Water enters the spongocoel
through porocytes Albert Chen

Anne Ning
http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/141995_Porifera.jpg
Body Symmetry
•
None
Nervous System
• None
• Individual cells respond
to the environment
Gas Exchange
• Individual cells obtain the oxygen they need from their surroundings
http://www.palaeos.com/Invertebrates/Porifera/Images/rigida.jpg (left)
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~jdirnber/InvertZoo/LecPorifera/PoriVarietyp.gif (right)
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
Circulatory System


Water is circulated
by the movement of
choanocyte flagella
Nutrients from the
water are circulated
by amoebocytes
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/zoology/biologicaldiverstity/AnimalsI/sponge_1.gif
Digestive System


Suspension feeders
Choanocytes move
water, catch suspended
food with their collars,
and ingest it through
phagocytosis.

Food is then transferred
to amoebocytes (with
pseudopodia) that digest
it and transport its
nutrients to other cells.
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
http://www.planula.com.au/2004/12/11/sponges-more-than-just-a-bathroom-accessory/
Excretory System

Possess large
openings called
oscula from which
water (and waste)
leave
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Underwater/Belize/StillLifes/TubeSpongesThreeOrange.jpg
Locomotion/Musculature



No muscles
Flagellated
choanocytes create
water currents that
bring water in to the
spongocoel
Osculum can be
closed


Sponges do not
move
They are so
stationary that the
ancient Greeks
mistook them for
plants
http://uwnews.org/uweek/article.aspx?id=35774
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
Skeletal Type



Amoebocytes
produce skeletal
fibers within the
mesohyl
Spicules (sharp) are
made from calcium
carbonate or silica
Fibers produced
from spongin are
more flexible
Invertebrate biology [1077-8306] Calcinai year: 2006 vol: 125 issue: 3 pg: 195 -204
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
Reproduction

Sponges are
hermaphrodites—
produce both sperm
and eggs (one gender
at a time)
 Gametes are produced
by choanocytes or
amoebocytes
 Eggs stay in mesohyl
while sperm leave
through osculum. (no
self-fertilization)
 Larvae swim (or crawl)
somewhere, stick, and
develop into sessile
adults.

They can also reproduce
asexually by releasing
fragments of adult sponge
(gemmules) that can
become individual
sponges
"The Sponges (Phylum Porifera)." The Earth Life Web. Web. 10 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/porifera.html>.
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Underwater/Belize/StillLifes/
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
Additional Information





Sponges are involved in
symbiosis with algae. In
some examples, the “alga
represents the main
skeleton of the sponge.”
Size—wide range from
1cm to 2m.
9000 species in this
phylum, most live in the
ocean.
Sponges can produce
antibiotics to defend
against pathogens
Few predators because of
toxins
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
Invertebrate biology [1077-8306] Calcinai year: 2006 vol: 125 issue: 3 page: 195 -204
http://www.ambergriscaye.com/photogallery/art/Azure%20Vase%20Sponge-elbert.jpg
Taxonomy

One taxonomic
scheme:
Phylum Porifera
Class Calcarea
Order Calcinia
Order Calcaronia
Class Hexactinellida
Order Amphidiscophora
Order Hexasterophora
Class Demospongiae
Order Homoscleromorpha
Order Tetractinomorpha
Order Ceractinomorpha
"The Sponges (Phylum Porifera)." The Earth Life Web. Web. 10 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/porifera.html>.
http://funscubadiver.com/gallery/bonaire-scuba-photo/bonaire-purple-tube-sponge.jpg
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
QUIZ – Question 1
 Which
of the animal phyla has no
true tissues?
a) Porifera
b) Cnidaria
c) Rotifera
d) Annelida
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
ANSWER: a) Porifera
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
QUIZ – Question 2
 Which
invertebrate has no true
symmetry?
a) Porifera
b) Mollusca
c) Echinodermata
d) Rotifera
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
ANSWER: a) Porifera
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
QUIZ – Question 3
 Are
Porifera protostomes or
deuterostomes?
a) Protostomes
b) Deuterostomes
c) Both
d) Neither
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
ANSWER: d) Neither
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
QUIZ – Question 4
 Which
cells in sponges help to
circulate water?
a) Osculum
b) Spicules
c) Amoebocytes
d) Choanocytes
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
ANSWER: d) Choanocytes
Albert Chen
Anne Ning
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr146/Briasaur/YEAH.jpg