Phylum Porifera Overview

Yes, animals can be asymmetric; for example, sponges are mostly asymmetric.

Symmetry around a central point; for example, a sea star.

The oral side is where the mouth is located; the aboral side is the surface that is furthest away from the mouth.

<p>The property of being divisible into symmetrical halves on either side of a unique plane; for example, humans and worms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Animals with bilateral symmetry generally have a head and posterior end, while animals with radial symmetry do not; bilateral symmetry creates a clear left and right side.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>No, neither form of symmetry is superior; different types are better suited for specific environments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Anterior: head end; posterior: rear; dorsal: back or upper surface; ventral: lower or abdominal surface; proximal: near point of attachment; distal: away from point; superior: highest part; inferior: lowest part; lateral: side away from the middle.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>550 million years ago.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Due to the significant number of species that suddenly appeared in the fossil record.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Cambrian explosion occurred, bringing a mass amount of diversity and the first appearance of most major animal groups in the fossil record.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It contains fossils from the Cambrian period, showcasing ancient species that have living descendants or are completely extinct.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>540 million years ago.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It brought a diverse amount of species into existence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are very distant ancestors to modern animals and represent the original body plans before major evolutionary changes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>5,500 described species, mostly marine, mostly asymmetrical, lack tissues or organs but have specialized cells.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sponges are generally asymmetrical but can be superficially radially symmetric.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Choanocytes (collar cells for digestion), pinacocytes (outer layer cells), and amoebocytes (deliver food and make spicules).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Living sponge cells can be separated and recombined successfully.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Choanocytes line the sponge wall, have flagella, and are surrounded by a collar of microvilli.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sponges feed by filtering air through their walls and out through the osculum, primarily on organic particles or plankton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Spicules are formations of CaCO₃ or silica that give the sponge rigidity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Not all sponges have spicules; spongin fibers are modified collagen proteins that sustain sponge form.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It shows the beginning of specialized cells that will make up specialized organs in later animals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Asconoid is the simplest, syconoid has folded linings, and leuconoid has choanocyte-filled chambers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sponges have both male and female sex cells since their method of reproduction is not too precise.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sexually: adults release sperm, filter sperm in, fertilization occurs, larva develops and is released; Asexually: fragmentation, budding, gemmule production.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sponges are sessile or slow-moving, but larvae are planktonic and free-swimming.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To attain bioactive compounds that can treat diseases such as cancer.</p> Signup and view all the answers