Sponges

General Characteristics of Animals

• Eukaryotic Cells

• Multicellular

• Heterotrophic

• Embryonic Development

Asymmetrical

• no symmetry (this is seen only in Porifera

Porifera Sponges (Characteristics)

• Sessile

• Specialized Cells

• Suspension Filter Feeders

Sessile

• the organism does not move from its place, attached to a hard surface

Specialized Cells

• many cells that work together but not tissues

Suspension Filter Feeders

• filters small food out of the water (like plankton or bacterial cells)

Choanocytes (collar cells) - Sponge Cell Types

• they are responsible for capturing food

• the flagella create a current that moves water through the sponge

Pinacocytes - Sponge Cell Types

• like skin cells

• provide a barrier for protection and have pigment for color

Porocytes - Sponge Cell Types

• creates the pores or openings in the sponge for water and food particles to filter through

Ambeocytes (wandering cells) - Sponge Cell Types

• move around making spicules and spongin, helping with digestion, or repairs

Spongin (structural support)

• a support protein like tough elastic fibers

Spicules (structural support)

• support and protective structures made of silica or calcium carbonate

Budding (reprod)

• a new sponge grows off the side of the parent sponge

• asexual

Reaggregation (reprod)

• when individual cells find each other in a solution and cluster together to form new offspring

• asexual

Broadcast Spawning (reprod)

• gametes (sperm cells) are produced in massive quantities and then released into water where they fertilize an egg and from a larvae