Phylum Porifera

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Phylum Porifera

• A.K.A.
• Sponges

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Sponges are an animal??

• Yes, they are!!!
• Sessile- sponges do not move anchored to one
  place (rock or shell)
• Sponges have no specialized tissues, organs, or
  symmetry
• Basically a sponge is a bunch of cells grouped
  together
• Live in shallow seas some in fresh water

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General Characteristics

• Asymmetric (no true symmetry)
• Wide variety of colors
• Shapes- look like balls, discs, vases,
• branching shrubs, or small trees
• pore-bearing- look like a sack full of
• holes

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Skeletal system

• Spongin- flexible protein
• Spicules- spikes/needles
• of calcium carbonate

Provide support
Spicules
Spongin
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Digestion

• Filter feeder (heterotroph)- bring in small food
  particles from water through porocytes (pores)
  travels through spongocoel (central cavity)
• Then the choanocytes trap digest food
• Next, amoebocytes carry nutrients to cells take
  away waste
• Finally, the remaining water leaves through the
  osculum (opening at top of sponge)

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Hey, nice choanocyte you got there!
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Nervous and Circulatory System

• Sponges dont have them!!

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Respiration

• Diffusion- oxygen from water moves into sponge
  cells (high to low)

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Reproduction

• Asexual- budding -small piece of sponge breaks
  off from parent develops into a full grown
  sponge
• Sexual- hermaphrodites (produce eggs sperm at
  different times)
• sperm cells made by one sponge are carried to
  another sponge by water once inside the sperm
  fertilizes the egg
• egg develops into a larvae attaches
  itself to an object in the water where it
  develops into an adult

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Excretion

• Waste is collected by the amoebocytes through
  diffusion it leaves through the osculum