Phylum Porifera: Sponges Overview

An animal that spends its entire life attached to a surface.

A simple sponge type with a central cavity and a single opening (osculum).

The single opening at the top of an ascon sponge.

A cell in the wall of an ascon sponge.

The movement of water through the sponge, bringing in food and removing waste.

A sponge with horizontal and radial canals, inhalant pores, and a spongocoel lined with choanocytes.

A complex sponge with a network of canals and many small chambers, and an interwoven spongin network.

Flagellated cells lining the inner cavities of sponges; crucial in water circulation and feeding.

Small openings in the body wall of a Sycon sponge that allow water to enter.

Interwoven, irregular protein fibers that make up a significant portion of the Leucon sponge structure.

Multicellular animals without true tissues or organs, but with different cell types for specialized functions.

Sponges lack symmetry (asymmetrical).

Water flows through the sponge's pores, channels, and chambers.

Sponges have an internal skeleton of tiny spicules.

Sponges reproduce both asexually (budding) and sexually (mating).

Coelenterates have a body plan where body parts radiate outward from a central point.

The single body cavity of Coelenterates, serving as both the digestive system and the circulatory system.

Specialized stinging cells found in the cnidarians used for defense and capturing prey.

A life cycle that alternates between two distinct forms: polyp and medusa stage.

The three classes of Coelenterata, each with distinct characteristics and life styles.

Sponges have a simple sac-like body with a central cavity (Paragastric cavity) that opens outwards through a single opening (osculum). Small pores connect to channels leading into cells lining the body wall.

Sponges reproduce asexually by budding, where new individuals form from the parent's body and may detach to live independently or form a colony.

Sponges reproduce sexually by producing sperm and eggs; the sperm fertilizes the egg, creating a larva that swims and attaches to substrate, growing into a new sponge.

Sponges, like bath sponges, have economic value, particularly in sponge fisheries to export.

A high-quality sponge with a soft fibrous skeleton, yellowish color, and cup shape; used in surgery and aerospace.

Lower-quality sponge with a brown color, broader pores, and flattened disc shape. Found in Egypt, Libya, Greece, etc.

Egypt has significant sponge fisheries, with a substantial portion exported. Sponges are harvested using specialized equipment and skilled divers.

Good quality sponges are found at depths between 20-60 meters.

Cnidarians have two main body forms: medusa (umbrella-like) and polyp (vase-like).

Jellyfish, sea anemones, and corals are examples of Cnidarians.

Many Cnidarians, including corals, live in coral reefs.

The umbrella-shaped body form of some cnidarians, like jellyfish.

The vase-shaped body form of some cnidarians, like sea anemones.

A colony of Obelia sp. is formed by many individuals budding off from a single founder, connected to form a horizontal stem and branched axes that hold feeding polyps.

The individual animal within the Obelia colony, protected by a sheath shaped like a cone.

The horizontal axis that connects the individuals within the Obelia colony.

Small marine animal found in colonies attached to marine algae, seashells, or rocks.

Obelia colony forms from buds that remain attached to the original organism.

Colonial animals have two cell layers (ectoderm and endoderm) separated by mesoglea.

Cells in the gastrovascular cavity that digest food.

Specialized cells containing nematocysts used to capture prey or defend.

Jellyfish are in the class Scyphozoa, with a bell-shaped body.

Cells that detect stimuli and control movement.

Cells that secrete substances like sticky substances or digestive enzymes.

Cells that can change into other types, like reproductive or stinging cells.

Stinging cells, or nematocysts, are mainly located on tentacles for prey capture.

Corals are marine organisms with calcium carbonate skeletons, often forming reefs in tropical and subtropical seas. They feed on plankton and small fish.

Complex underwater structures created by the accumulation of coral skeletons, providing habitats for diverse marine life.

A large coral reef system off the coast of Australia, considered the world's largest coral structure.

Corals thrive in warm, shallow, tropical and subtropical ocean environments.

Corals primarily feed on plankton and small fish.