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PHYLUM PORIFERA
COMMON NAME
THE SPONGES
If you dive at any location with a rocky bottom located at a depth of at least fifteen feet, chances are you will encounter at least one of the 9,000 species of sponges that make up this phylum. Sponges off of our coast rarely ever resemble the vase shaped sponges found in diving magazines whose photos are normally dominated by images of warmer water sponges. Instead our magnificently colored sponges tend to sprawl across rocks offer a stark contrast to its neighboring algae and bryozoans. From bright yellow, orange, blue, and red to name just a few colors, these amazing animals vary dramatically in color and shape, but all have much in common.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PORIFERA
Classified within their own phylum within the animal kingdom, sponges have some of the simplest body organization in terms of cellular interaction. Keep in mind that cells work cooperatively together to be collectively called tissues, and tissues work cooperatively in groups called organs, and organs working cooperatively together thus comprising an organ system. While many of the phyla within the animal kingdom have tissues, organs, and organ systems, sponges are unique from all other animals in that they have no true tissues or true organs. With no tissues or organs the capture, breakdown, and removal of waste are all carried out by each of the cells within the sponge.
The adult stages of California’s sponges remain sessile and anchored to their hard substrate. In the wild it seems there is no one preferred place for sponges to anchor and carry out their day to day processes. The many species of California sponges may be found on rocks, on the back of invertebrates, on man made products as well as our debris.
FEEDING
Once established upon a surface, a sponge will feed by filtering the water that enters the sponge via the ostia (incurrent pores) and exits out the oscula (the exit pores). Please reference the drawing below. The diet of a sponge is comprised of plankton, bacteria, and detritus (organic waste). In order to feed, water flows across the sponge walls and through the ostium. Once in the ostium the water flows into the central sponge cavity called the spongocoel. The spongocoel is lined with collar cells, many of which create a current inside the spongocoel that exits out the osculum. These specialized cells have flagella, tail like whips capable of directing the current out of the sponge. These specialized collar cells equipped with flagella are called choanocytes. In fact the net effect of this movement draws water and food into the sponge from outside the sponge into it.
REPRODUCTION
Asexual and sexual reproduction are characteristic methods of reproduction for sponges. Asexual reproduction in sponges is similar to other sedentary organisms who “bud.” Budding occurs when a small group of cells at the base of the sponge reorganize themselves to form a new sponge. Eventually the small growth will pinch itself free from the original sponge. For sexual reproduction the hermaphroditic sponge may alternately produce thousands of eggs or sperm. These gametes are released into the water and are carried off on the currents. Many of these gametes become food for other organisms but some sperm will reach and fertilize the eggs. A sexually produced sponge will then begin its life as a free swimming microscopic larva. Over time this motile larval will eventually settle on a substrate and start the cycle all over again.
THE BODY STRUCTURE OF PORIFERA
The body of a sponge has radial symmetry in which any cut along any portion of the sponges axis will produce identical sides. The body of a sponge is very porous and may take many shapes however much commonality exists amongst sponges at the cellular level.
THE COMPONENTS OF A SPONGE:
Sponge bodies vary in complexity and size. The simplest sponges are the smallest. As sponges are filter feeders they must comply with certain volume to surface area requirements in order to sustain their own life. As a sponge increases in size it must be able to consume more food to support its size. Necessarily the simplest form of sponges are only two cells thick and as such are only centimeters tall. In order to obtain the large sizes common in more tropical waters, sponges have increased their surface area by folding in on themselves.
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Copyrighted by Ryan Jaeger & Matthew J. Wahlrab 2002 - 20032