They are also extremely long-lived animals, with the oldest individual thought to be over 2300 years old. Sponges can be found in a wide range of habitats, mostly in saltwater, with some specialized species in freshwater. The fragile Glass Sponge reefs of British Columbia, Canada These differences between the presence or absence of spicules and spongin differentiates the four classes of sponges calcareous sponges (Calcarea), glass sponges (Hexactinellida), demosponges (Demospongiae), and encrusting sponges (Homoscleromorpha). Not all sponge species have both spicules and spongin, allowing for the variety between hard and softer sponge species. The skeleton of the sponge is maintained by spongin, a soft flexible fiber, and spicules, made of a harder mineral that supports the sponge’s structure. Several gallons of water can be circulated a day, with certain species being able to filter up to 50,000 times their own volume (Reiswig 1971). This water movement allows for the trapping and ingesting of food particles.
These cells aid the movement of water through the beating of their tails, which create currents. One of the important cells, Choanocytes, line the inner portion of the organism through which water flows. These cells are only loosely organized, allowing sponges to have the miraculous ability to reform themselves after being poured out of a blender. Instead of organized tissues, sponges depend on groups of specialized cells to function. This lack of complexity stems from not requiring any organs or central nervous system. That makes them older than trees! Sponges are the simplest of any multi-cellular organism. With some sponge-like species dating back 650 million years (Maloof et al., 2010). The phylum Porifera comprises the oldest known animal life present on earth. With over 5,000 species stretching from the deep oceans to coral reefs, these abundant animals are a common site in our oceans. One of these easily glossed over group of organisms that I want to delve into today, are sponges. The Beauty of the Less Complex: An Introduction to Sponges by Alyssa AllchurchĮveryone loves sharks, turtles and manta rays but often the less charismatic species are ignored.
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