PHYLUM

PORIFERA
“pore bearers or pore-
bearing species”
Phylum Porifera
from Latin porus "pore, opening" + -fer "bearing" or "to carry"

• The simplest of all the invertebrates (animals without bones). The

lowest multicellular animals belonging to the kingdom Animalia.
• Do not possess “true” tissues that are embryologically
homologous to those of all other derived animal groups such as
the insects and mammals. This
• This phylum includes about 5000 species. Poriferans are pore-
bearing first multicellular animals. The pores are known as Ostia.
• The phylum name Porifera means pore-bearing. Sponges take
their name from small holes that cover their bodies.
Animals under Phylum Porifera
• The phylum Porifera comprises the sponges. Sponges are simple
invertebrate animals that live in aquatic habitats.
• Although the majority of sponges are marine, some species live in
freshwater lakes and streams.
General Features of
Sponges
• Osculum: (oscula, plural) large opening at
the top of the sponge where water is expelled
• Ostia: pores in the body wall
• Spongin: a flexible protein that makes the
soft ‘body’ of the sponge
• Organisms belonging to this phylum do not
have specialised digestive, nervous or
circulatory system. Instead, they have a
water transport or canal system, which
achieves the functions of digestion, excretion
and also an exchange of gases.
Characteristics of a Poriferan
• Feed on bacteria and other food particles that are present in the water.
Poriferans don't have mouths; instead, they have tiny pores in their
outer walls through which water is drawn.
• They reproduce asexually by budding, and fragmentation.
• They have the power to regenerate the lost parts.
• The exchange of respiratory gases and nitrogenous wastes occurs by
the process of diffusion.
• They are either radially symmetrical or asymmetrical. Their body is
usually cylindrical. They have no organs in their body.
Benefits of Poriferans
• They can be used for cleaning an array of surfaces and have better
water retention than that of the artificial sponge. Most popular uses
include car care, household cleaning, makeup application and removal,
skin exfoliant for when bathing, and personal care.
• Dolphins will use marine sponge to protect themselves while searching
for food.
• A variety of microorganisms, worms, crabs and shrimp will inhabit the
cavities in the sponges. Sponges also serve as a protection mechanism
for scallops.
• The approximately 5,000 living sponge
species are classified in the phylum
Porifera, which is composed of three
distinct groups:
the Hexactinellida (glass sponges),
the Demospongia, and
the Calcarea (calcareous sponges).
Hexactinellida (glass sponges). Their
tissues contain glass-like structural
particles, called spicules, that are
made of silica (hence their name).
Demospongia. They are sponges with a soft body that covers
a hard, often massive skeleton made of calcium carbonate, either
aragonite or calcite. Demosponges are the most diverse class in
the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of
sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide.
Calcarea (calcareous sponges)
They are characterized by spicules
made of calcium carbonate in the form
of calcite or aragonite.