Porifera
Interesting facts about Porifera
6 distinct features of Porifera
- most primitive multi-cellular animal
- choanocytes
- water canal (quiferous) system
- organic and inorganic skeletons
- totipotency
- plasticity
Clathria (microciona) mima
A common encrusting sponge on coral reefs throughout the indo-malay archipelago.
Calareous sponge (soleniscus radovani)
with an almost algae-like growth form, found commonly in coral reef caves on the Great Barrier Reef.
AKA SP.
this burrowing sponge is highly specialized to excavating life style, with its exhalant. breathing pores on the ens of the open tubes, and the inhalant breathing pores are clustered on the ends of the blind fistulas to prevent smothering from the sediment.
Characteristics
- Taxonomic level: phylum Porifera
- symmetry: asymmetrical or radial
- type of gut: none
- circulatory system: none
- nervous system: none
- sexual or asexual
- adults are sessile, zygots are protozoan-like
- filter feeder
- contains 2 germ layers-endoderm
- spicule-gives spongy body
- made up of glass/silicia, or protein/spongin, or calcium carbonate
- no sensory cells or nerves
- internal cavities lined by choancytes
The wonderful world of the sea sponges- The Abyss- BBc Wildlife