1 Odyssey Expeditions - Sponges Sponges. 2 Odyssey Expeditions - Sponges Introduction Phylum Porifera “pore bearer” Aquatic and mostly marine Sessile.

1 Odyssey Expeditions - Sponges

Sponges


Introduction

• Phylum Porifera “pore bearer”

• Aquatic and mostly marine• Sessile • Body can be stony,

rubbery, or gelatinous• Size range: few

millimeters to five meters • Radially symmetric or

asymmetrical

Jason Buchheim

Jason Buchheim


Structure

• Simplest form resembles a tube closed at the attached end and open at the other.

• Outer surface is called the pinacoderm (made up of pinacocyte cells)

• Pinacoderm has many porocytes (pores) which allow water to enter the sponge wall.

• The atrium opens to the outside through the osculum (large opening at top)


Structure


Structure

• Beneath the pinacoderm is the mesohyl (gelatinous matrix that contains support structures and amoebocytes)

• Body supported by calcareous or siliceous spicules (needle, rod, star shaped) and/or spongin fibers

• Atrium wall consists of choanocytes which create a flow of water through the sponge by beating their flagella

• As water flows in the amoebocytes pick up and distributes nutrients to the sponge.


Structure

Spongin

Spicule


Feeding

• Water flow created by choanocytes

• Water enters porocyte

• Nutrients picked up by amoebocytes

• Waste products deposited in water flow

• Water enters atrium

• Flow carries waste materials and water out the osculum


Feeding

Choanocyte


Reproduction

• Many can regenerate • Asexual and sexual reproduction• Asexual by fragmentation and

budding• Sexual: Hermaphroditic• Most fertilization is external• Larvae is free swimming and

attaches to a suitable hard surface after a few hours to several days later (two types)

• Changes into a sponge

Parenchymella Larvae

Amphiblastula Larvae


ReproductionReleasing gametes


Economic• Harvested for bath sponges

• Anticancer biochemicals

http://www.keyshistory.org/SL-Key%20West-exchange.jpg


Body Types• Asconoid (simplest)• Syconoid• Leuconoid (most complex)• Body wall folding is the main difference between

body types• Body folding increases surface area:

– Increases choanocyte layer and reduces the amount of water needed to filter

– Increased turbulance puts more food in contact with amoebocytes

– Enables the sponge to grow large because of the added nutrition


Asconoid

• Simplest in form

• Cylindrical in shape

• No body wall folding


Syconoid

• More complex than asconoid

• Mostly cylindrical in shape

• Some body wall folding

• Increase # of choanocytes

Flagellated chamber


Leuconoid

• Most complex

• Varied in shape

• Extreme body wall folding

• Greatly increases # of choanocytes


Sponge Classes

• Class Calcarea

• Class Hexactinellida

• Class Demospongiae


Class Calcarea

• Spicules composed of calcium carbonate

• No spongin

• Entirely marine

• Usually found in shallow water

• All three body types

• Typically less than 10 cm in height


Calcarea


Class Hexactinellida

• Called glass sponges• Siliceous spicules• Most symmetrical looking sponges• Cup, vase, or urn-like in shape• 10-30cm in height• Inhabit deep water: 200m to 1000m• Dominant sponge in the arctic• Leuconoid body type


Hexactinellida

NOAA NOAA

NOAA


Class Demospongiae

• Siliceous spicules and/or spongin fibers• Most are marine, FW sponges belong to

this class• 90% of sponges• Leuconoid body type• Inhabit shallow to deep water• Irregular in shape• Bath sponges belong in this class


Demospongiae

Jason Buchheim


The End


Resources

• Barnes, Robert D. and Edward Ruppert. Invertebrate Zoology: Sixth Edition. Fort Worth: Saunders College Publishing, 1994

• BIODIDAC: A Bank of Digital Resources For Teaching Biology. 20 Dec. 2006. <http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/>

• Kinsella, John, Drew Richardson and Bob Wohlers. Life on an Ocean Planet. California: Current Publishing Corp., 2006

• Taylor, Walter K. and Robert L. Wallace. Invertebrate Zoology: A Laboratory Manual Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002

1 Odyssey Expeditions - Sponges Sponges. 2 Odyssey Expeditions - Sponges Introduction Phylum Porifera “pore bearer” Aquatic and mostly marine Sessile.

Documents

choanocytes slide

body wall folding slide

osculum slide

choanocyte slide

body types body

water flow water

amoebocytes body

flow of water