GROUP D DISCUSSION GROUP

COURSE CODE: 1201 INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY

YEAR 1
SEMESTER 2
LECTUERERS: DR JOSEPHINE ESEATE
GROUP MEMBERS. REGISTRATION NUMBER
AKANDWANAHO RITAPRAISE 20/U/1447
NASSAAZI GLORIA 20/U/1414
LUBWAMA FRANK 20/U/1430
MUKIIBI JOSEPH 20/U/1424
BUNJO JOSEPH 20/U/1442
ANGOM ANNET 20/U/1424
NSUBUGA TIMOTHY. 20/U/1412
BUTSIBA HILLARY NAMUNABI 20/U/4138/PS
OKUKU OUMA STEPHEN 20/U/16055
MATOVU CHARLES 19/U/18355/PS
QUESTIONS.
1. DESCRIBETHE ORGANISATIONAL FEATURES OF THE SIMPLEST
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS.
2. EXPLAIN THE VARIOUS BODY FORMS AND BODILY FUNCTIONS OF
SPONGES.
3. ARE SPONGES DIPLOBLASTIC ANIMALS? IF YES OR NO WHY?
NO.1
Poriferans are multicellular, the cells that make up a sponge are not organized into
tissues. Therefore sponges lack true tissues and organs, in addition they have no
body symmetry.
Sponges have cellular organisation meaning that their cells are specialised so that
different cells perform different cells perform different functions but similar cells
are not organised into tissues and bodies are a sort of loose aggregation of different
kinds of cells.
A sponge’s body is hollow and is held in shape by the mesohyl which is a jelly like
substance made up of collagen. Choanocytes which are cells with cylindrical
collars surrounding one flagellum per Choanocytes are present at various locations
depending on the type of sponges however they always line the inner portions of
some space through which water flows.
Pinacocytes form the outer covering of the sponge. They form a single layered
external skin over all parts of the mesohyl that are not covered by the choanocytes
and they also digest food particles that are too large to enter the ostia while those
at the base of the animal are responsible for anchoring it.
All sponges have ostia channels leading to the interior through the mesohyl and are
controlled by tube like porocytes that form closable inlet valves.
The cell body is embedded in the mesohyl and contains all organelles required for
normal cell function but protruding into open space inside the sponge.
Sponges have amoebocytes named for the fact that they move throughout the
mesohyl in an amoeba like fashion. Amoebocytes have a variety of functions for
example differentiating into different cell types that is collenocytes and lophocytes.
There are also sclerocytes that secrete small spicules into mesohyl. Spicules maybe
present externally or internally.
No 2
Sponges exhibit a range of diversity in body form including variations in size of
spongocoel, the number of osculi and where the cells that filter food from water are
located. Then we talk about different classes of porifera.
The presence and composition of spicules, spongin is differentiating characteristics
of three classes of sponges.
Class calcarea. It contains calcium carbonate spicules and no spongin
Class hexactinellida contains six rayed siliceous spicules and no spongin.
Class demospongia contains spongin and may or may not have spicules, if present
spicules are siliceous. Spicules are most conspicuously present in class
hexactinellida, the order consisting of glass sponges. Some of the spicules may
attain giant proportions (in relation to the typical size range of glass sponges of 3-
10nm) as in monorhaphis chuni that grows up to 3m long.
Pinacocytes form the outer covering the sponges which phagocytize large particles,
epithelial cells for protection, enclose a jelly like substance called mesohyl.
Mesohyl acts like an endoskeleton and maintains the tubular morphology of
sponges.
Ostia allow water to enter the sponges. Ostia are formed by porocytes that act as
valves to regulate water flow into the spongocoel.
Choanocytes line the inner portion of some space through which water flows
generate a water current through the sponges and to trap and ingest food particles
by phagocytosis, differentiate into sperm for sexual reproduction.
Amoebocytes, delivering nutrients to cells, differentiate into other cell types e.g.
collencyte and lophocytes. Lophocytes or collenocyte secrete collagen like protein
to maintain the mesohyl.
Sclerocyte secretes silica spicules in some sponges and spongocytes produce
protein spongin in majority of sponges. Spicules when present externally may ward
off predators.
No3
Sponges are not diploblastic since they have cellular level of organisation, they
have cellular level of organization they have one germ layer and lack true tissue
organisation.