SPONGES

Scientific Name:  Phylum Porifera-means pore bearer. 

Home: Sponges live all over the world. Most sponges live in the sea, but some live in freshwater. Many sponges live on reefs, and others live on sand or mud on the bottom of the sea.

Types: There are glass sponges, hard sponges, and normal sponges.    

Digestive System:  Sponges have cells that act as a net that catches food. Collar cells have a long, thread shaped makeup. Some parts carry and digest the food. Sponges use engulfing and internal digestion to get rid of food.

Blood, Waste, Breathing, and Reaction Systems: Sponges are very simple and do not require any of these systems. They use the natural flow of water whenever they need to get something out of the system. There is no real nervous system.

Structure: The skeleton is made up of tissues and muscle. There are star shaped, sharp fibers that make up most of the skeleton. There is also a part that protects the sponge from animals that try to enter.

Reproduction: The water takes the sperm, eggs, and larva. They can reproduce sexually or asexually. Sexual reproduction means that they are combining egg and sperm and the larvae grow inside of the female. Asexual reproduction means that it is done without combining egg and sperm. Asexual is the most efficient. It can be done when a piece of an adult body breaks off and grows on another adult.

Importance to Life: The sponges of the world provide homes for many other sea animals. Small crabs and sea stars search the sponges for algae to eat, providing food for them. Some hermit crabs use sponges as cover to get away from their predators.

Importance to Us: Some sponges give off things that can be turned into medicine. Sponges are mostly used on small problems in the body like viruses and bacteria. Other sponges are used as a bath sponge because they can hold water with their pores.

Special Features: Sponges can be soft, hard or bendable and may break easily. Sponges can also be blue, yellow, red orange, or colorless.

Examples: Soleneiscus, Radovani, Bird's Nest, Freshwater, Orange Tube, Azula Vase.

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Adam McAfee, Jon Baker, Jordan Rieckenberg