MODULE 2b: Phylum Porifera A.
BODY ORGANIZATION
Porifera – porus (pore) + ferre (bear).
- refers to the porous structure of the body
with many surface openings.
- most primitive multicellular animals
- their cells function independently, with no
coordination via a central nervous system
- do not form true tissues nor organs.
- metabolism is largely dependent on the
flow of water through its dermal pores and
inner canals, thus they are exclusively
aquatic and chiefly marine.
Classification of Porifera
Class Calcarea - marine sponges with skeleton
entirely calcareous spicules
- Spicules are either needle-shaped or
3- or 4- rayed.
- All three types of canal system
represented
- megascleres and microscleres
absent.
Class Hexactinellida - marine deep-sea glass
spongesarine sponges with
skeleton entirely calcareous
spicules.
- skeleton of 6-rayed siliceous
spicules extending at right
angles from a central point and
united to form a network
- body often cylindrical or
funnel-shaped
- exhibit syconoid or leuconoid
arrangement
- megascleres and microscleres
present.
Class Demospongiae - Marine or freshwater sponges
with skeleton of siliceous
spicules, or sponging fibers or
both
- megascleres monaxon or
tetraxon (never 6-rayed)
- microscleres of diverse types
leuconoid canal system.
- beset by numerous tiny openings such as many
tiny pores called ostia for incoming water, and
one to several larger oscula for water outlet.
1. Canal System
Pinacoderm – covered the external surface of
the sponge.
Pinacocyctes – thin layer of flat cells that
composes the dermal
pinacoderm externally.
Ostia – incurrent pores on the outer surface of
the sponge that lead into the incurrent
canals which end blindly near the inner
surface of the body wall.
Prosopoyles – connects the incurrent canals to
the radial canal.
Choanoderm – lines the radial canals and is
made up of choanocytes.
Choanocytes - single layer of collared,
flagellated cells
Spongocoel – large central canal
Apopyles – minute pores that leads the radial
canal to the large canal.
Mesohyl – gelatinous matrix which contains
amoebocytes (between the
pinacoderm and choanoderm)
Amoebocytes -roaming cells that carry many
functions, including distributing
food to other cells, reproduction,
and production of the sponge’s
skeleton.
2. Skeletal System
 Spicules - provide support and prevent
collapse of their hollow bodies, especially at
great depths.
o Calcareous
o Siliceous
 Spongin - insoluble, sulphur-containing form
of collagen. This component usually occurs as
interwoven fibers. (Demonspomgiae)
B. REPRODUCTION
- Sponges reproduce both sexually and asexually
- Asexual reproduction in freshwater sponges and
some marine forms is achieved by the formation of
gemmules.
-Gemmules- it is a hollow, cyst-like ball of
archeocytes/amoebocytes.
-It is covered with a tough coat of sponging.
Embedded into the sponging coat are
numerous siliceous spicules.
Class Demospongiae
C. DIVERSITY
Class Calcarea
 Leucosolenia
- calcareous sponge that occurs in
clusters or colonies in shorewaters.
- body is tubular and opens at the tip
through the osculum
- The wall is made up of flattened
cells, the pinacocytes. Interspersed
between these cells are minute pores,
the ostia.
 Sycon (=Grantia, Scypha)
- marine sponge that is gray or light
brown in color when fresh.
- grows to only about 23 cm and
occurs as a colony of several
cylinders attached at the base.
- The free end contains the osculum
which is surrounded by monaxon
(needle-shaped) spicules made of
calcium carbonate.
Class Hexactinellida
 Euplectella (Venus flower basket)
- This sponge was traditionally given
as a wedding gift in Japan because of
two small shrimps—a male and a
female, that often live inside its
spongocoel.
- syconoid deep-sea glass sponge that
has a cylindrical and curved body
- Oscular sieve – closed the upper end
of the species and
strengthens the end-
piece of the sponge.
- Around the cylinder are continuous
ledges of spicules.
- Parietal gaps – openings in the
meshwork of 6-
rayed spicules.
- Floricomes – feather-duster like that
projects from the
surface of the sponge.
- Root spicules - attached the sponge
to the substratum.
 Spongia (bath sponge)
- belongs to the group called horny
sponges.
- spicule skeleton is absent, and
replaced by sponging fiber arranged
in a complex anastomosing pattern.
- often irregular in shape, and occurs
as a roundish lump on rocks and
other substrates.
 Spongilla
- greenish-hue of this sponge is due to
the presence of symbiotic algae
- found in freshwater
- Its body is embedded with siliceous
monaxon spicules
 Carteriospongia (Elephant’s ear sponge)
- main body of this marine sponge
consists of a broad leathery plate
with a skeleton made up of only
sponging and no spicules.
- attached to the substratum by means
of hard, root-like stalk
- Some species are known to produce
cytotoxic chemicals which may have
biomedical properties.
 Xestospongia (Barrel sponge)
- can grow as much as 1.5
- have volcano- or barrel-shaped
bodies with thick knobbed or ridged
walls
- Many large siliceous monaxon
spicules are scattered within its body