Phylum Porifera
Porifera is a very well-known phylum made up of several different species of sponges. Although sponges may look like beautiful plants, man-made paintings, or sci-fi creatures from another world, sponges are actually just regular animals. There are at least a couple thousand species of sponges, and probably more than 10 thousand. Sponges live at the bottom of a water pool, mostly in the ocean. 10% of sponges live in freshwater, while the rest live in saltwater. Like Trichoplax, sponges are simple animals. However, they are a lot bigger than Placozoans. The largest sponge is the giant barrel sponge (Xestospongia muta). Besides being able to live up to 2 ½ thousand years, this barrel sponge can grow up to 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Sponges can have many different shapes. Most sponges have common names based on what they look like. Just like the Parazoans, sponges do not have any tissues and organs. Instead, they have many other features, such as spicules, sharp needles to protect themselves, and pores, which they use for many purposes including feeding. To feed, they let water flow through pores at the bottom of their body. They collect and eat the nutrients of the water. The clean water flows out a big pore at the top called the osculum. There are two basic stages of life. When a sponge is first born, it floats around in the water, and doesn’t look like a sponge. Then, it attaches itself to the bottom of the sea floor. There it grows to become a full adult sponge. Sponges can reproduce sexually or asexually. Because sponges are hermaphrodites, they can mate with a male or female. Sponges reproduce sexually by letting out sperm and attracting it to an egg to reproduce, making another sponge. Although most sponges reproduce sexually, some reproduce asexually. They do this by releasing buds. They can either release buds from the outside, or produce buds called gemmules from the inside.
Classification:
Kingdom Animalia
Parazoa
Phylum Porifera
Class Calcarea (calcareous sponges with spicules made of calcite)
Class Demospongiae (demosponges with spicules made of silica and/or spongin)
Class Hexactinellid (glass sponges with spicules made of silica)
Class Homoscleromorpha (demosponge-like)
Heading Picture: Azure vase sponge (Callyspongia plicifera)
Class Demospongiae (demosponges)
Order Haplosclerida (freshwater and marine demosponges)
Family Callyspongiidae
Genus Callyspongia (prickly tube sponges, vase sponges, and more)
Species Callyspongia plicifera (azure vase sponge)