Lecture 4 - Porifera Flashcards
What is the common name of porifera?
Sea sponge
What are the functions of sponges?
- provide shelter and food to other organisms
- recycles nutrients in the water
What is the sponge loop?
Sponges absorb large amount of nutrients through water and relase them back into the water as a form of filtering
Describe the flow of water through a sponge.
- pinacocyte relaxes pore to open (can also contract)
- water enters through pores and pass incurrent canals
- flow is generated by flagelled cells
- water exits through osculum, large opening
What are the 3 sponge morphologies?
- Asconoid
- Syconoid
- Leuconoid
Which sponge morphology is the most complex?
Leuconoid
Describe feeding in porifera.
- flagellated choanocytes generate water flow
- food in the water is trapped in collar around flagella
- archaeocytes digest food
Describe how sponges can control water flow.
Pinacocytes can contract to close pores and prevent water from entering
Describe the functions of choanocytes.
- traps food and generates water flow in sponge
- traps sperm cells
- also used for respiration and excretion
Describe asexual reproduction in sponges.
- sponges go through budding where a bud grows and breaks off sponge to grow into new colony
- sponges regnerate when a fragment is wounded
What are gemmules?
Gemmules develop on freshwater sponges as an adaptation to colder temperatures
Describe sexual reproduction in sponges.
- sperm is released into the water
- trapped by choanocyte and carried to oocyte
- develops into free-swimming ciliated larvae
What is the mesophyll?
The sponge’s skeleton made of collagen and spicules
How are sponges classified and differentiated?
Stucture, size and type of spicules
What type of spicules do calcarea have?
Calcium Carbonate
