These are some examples of the many sponges that inhabit the ocean. All these sponges are actually not plants, they are animals! Sponges are categorized in the phylum called Porifera. Porifera meaning, an animal with holes. I will be talking about the seven essential functions in an animal, regarding sponges:
1. Feeding: Sponges are filter feeders. The reason they have holes in them is so the water can constantly flow throughout their whole body, so that they can obtain food and nutrients by filtering the water. Sponges mostly feed on bacteria and food particles that flow in the water.
2. Respiration: Sponges respire (receive oxygen) when the water flows through their holes. The type of respiration that sponges use is called osmosis. The water flows in through their pores and once the filtering is done, the water leaves the sponge through the osculum (the main hole on the top).
3. Circulation: Sponges have no circulatory system. They do not have any specialized techniques to transport oxygen, food, and nutrients throughout their bodies. Instead, the water flow through the holes cover for this. The circulation of the water gets food and nutrients in the sponges.
4. Excretion: Sponges do not have an excretory system either. But, sponges do remove mineral particles that threaten to block the ostia. Archeocytes transport them through the mesohyl and dump them into the outgoing water current. Once again, they use the flow of water to remove wastes.
5. Response: Sponges do not have a nervous system. They do not have nerves or anything like that. However, strangely, sponges do react to stimuli.
6. Movement: Sponges do not have proper skeletons, but they do have something called a mesohyl, that functions as an endoskeleton. It is the only skeleton in sponges that encrusts hard surfaces such as rocks. Sponges do not move, they normally just stay in one place. But, this is for adult sponges. Juveniles are motile. Adult sponges do not move, however, there are some sponges that move 1-4mm per day, because of amoeba-like movements of pinacocytes and other cells.
7. Reproduction: Sponges are neither male nor female. Sponges can reproduce sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction requires only one parent, and it is done by budding. This is when a piece of a sponge breaks off and forms an entirely new one, that is identical to its parent. For sexual reproduction, a "male" sponge releases sperm that flows in the water until it finds another "female" sponge of the same species. The sperm then enters the sponge through its outer pores, where it will fertilize the egg. The egg will turn into larvae that will eventually attach itself to the ocean floor and grow into an adult.
5. Response: Sponges do not have a nervous system. They do not have nerves or anything like that. However, strangely, sponges do react to stimuli.
6. Movement: Sponges do not have proper skeletons, but they do have something called a mesohyl, that functions as an endoskeleton. It is the only skeleton in sponges that encrusts hard surfaces such as rocks. Sponges do not move, they normally just stay in one place. But, this is for adult sponges. Juveniles are motile. Adult sponges do not move, however, there are some sponges that move 1-4mm per day, because of amoeba-like movements of pinacocytes and other cells.
7. Reproduction: Sponges are neither male nor female. Sponges can reproduce sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction requires only one parent, and it is done by budding. This is when a piece of a sponge breaks off and forms an entirely new one, that is identical to its parent. For sexual reproduction, a "male" sponge releases sperm that flows in the water until it finds another "female" sponge of the same species. The sperm then enters the sponge through its outer pores, where it will fertilize the egg. The egg will turn into larvae that will eventually attach itself to the ocean floor and grow into an adult.
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