his article is about the aquatic animal.
For the porous cleaning tool, see Sponge (tool). For other
uses, see Sponge (disambiguation).
Porifera
Temporal range: Ediacaran–
recent
PreꞒ
Pg
N
A stove-pipe sponge
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Grant, 1836
Type species
Amphimedon queenslandica[1]
Classes
Calcarea
Hexactinellida
Demospongiae
Homoscleromorph
a
†Stromatoporoidea
Synonyms
Parazoa/Ahistozoa
(sans Placozoa)[2]
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (/pəˈrɪfərə/; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a
basal Metazoa (animal) clade as a sister of the Diploblasts.[3][4][5][6][7] They are multicellular organisms
that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of
jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. The branch of zoology that studies
sponges is known as spongiology.[8]
Sponges have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between
the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not
have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water
flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes. Sponges were first to
branch off the evolutionary tree from the common ancestor of all animals, making them the sister
group of all other animals.[3]
Contents
1Etymology
2Overview
3Distinguishing features
4Basic structure
o 4.1Cell types
o 4.2Glass sponges' syncytia
o 4.3Water flow and body structures
o 4.4Skeleton
5Vital functions
o 5.1Movement
o 5.2Respiration, feeding and excretion
o 5.3Carnivorous sponges
o 5.4Endosymbionts
o 5.5"Immune" system
o 5.6Reproduction
o 5.7Coordination of activities
6Ecology
o 6.1Habitats
o 6.2As primary producers
o 6.3Defenses
o 6.4Predation
o 6.5Bioerosion
o 6.6Diseases
o 6.7Collaboration with other organisms
o 6.8Sponge loop
o 6.9Sponge holobiont
7Systematics and evolutionary history
o 7.1Taxonomy
o 7.2Classes
o 7.3Fossil record
o 7.4Relationships to other animal groups
8Notable spongiologists
9Use
o 9.1By dolphins
o 9.2By humans
10See also
11References
12Further reading
13External links
Etymology
The term sponge derives from the Ancient Greek word σπόγγος (spóngos 'sponge').[9]
Overview
Sponge biodiversity and morphotypes at the lip of a wall site in 60 feet (20 m) of water. Included are the yellow
tube sponge, Aplysina fistularis, the purple vase sponge, Niphates digitalis, the red encrusting
sponge, Spirastrella coccinea [nl], and the gray rope sponge, Callyspongia sp.
Sponges are similar to other animals in that they are multicellular, heterotrophic, lack cell walls and
produce sperm cells. Unlike other animals, they lack true tissues[10] and organs.[11] Some of them are
radially symmetrical, but most are asymmetrical. The shapes of their bodies are adapted for maximal
efficiency of water flow through the central cavity, where the water deposits nutrients and then
leaves through a hole called the osculum. Many sponges have internal skeletons of spongin and/or
spicules (skeletal-like fragments) of calcium carbonate or silicon dioxide.[10] All sponges
are sessile aquatic animals, meaning that they attach to an underwater surface and remain fixed in
place (i.e., do not travel). Although there are freshwater species, the great majority are marine (salt-
water) species, ranging in habitat from tidal zones to depths exceeding 8,800 m (5.5 mi).
Although most of the approximately 5,000–10,000 known species of sponges feed on bacteria and
other microscopic food in the water, some host photosynthesizing microorganisms
as endosymbionts, and these alliances often produce more food and oxygen than they consume. A
few species of sponges that live in food-poor environments have evolved as carnivores that prey
mainly on small crustaceans.[12]
Most species use sexual reproduction, releasing sperm cells into the water to fertilize ova that in
some species are released and in others are retained by the "mother". The fertilized eggs develop
into larvae, which swim off in search of places to settle.[13] Sponges are known for regenerating from
fragments that are broken off, although this only works if the fragments include the right types of
cells. A few species reproduce by budding. When environmental conditions become less hospitable
to the sponges, for example as temperatures drop, many freshwater species and a few marine ones
produce gemmules, "survival pods" of unspecialized cells that remain dormant until conditions
improve; they then either form completely new sponges or recolonize the s
