Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 36 views

    17 Fascinating Facts About Sea Sponges

    Uploaded by

    ADG Maharlika
    Sea sponges are one of the simplest multi-cellular organisms that have existed on Earth for 500 million years. They lack features like brains and hearts but can filter huge amounts of water daily to feed by ingesting plankton and other microorganisms. Sponges play an important role in the ecosystem by excreting nutrients and absorbing carbon dioxide, and come in over 5,000 identified species, with some living for hundreds of years.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    17 Fascinating Facts About Sea Sponges

    Uploaded by

    ADG Maharlika
    36 views2 pages
    Sea sponges are one of the simplest multi-cellular organisms that have existed on Earth for 500 million years. They lack features like brains and hearts but can filter huge amounts of water daily to feed by ingesting plankton and other microorganisms. Sponges play an important role in the ecosystem by excreting nutrients and absorbing carbon dioxide, and come in over 5,000 identified species, with some living for hundreds of years.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Sea sponges are one of the simplest multi-cellular organisms that have existed on Earth for 500 million years. They lack features like brains and hearts but can filter huge amounts of water daily to feed by ingesting plankton and other microorganisms. Sponges play an important role in the ecosystem by excreting nutrients and absorbing carbon dioxide, and come in over 5,000 identified species, with some living for hundreds of years.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    36 views2 pages

    17 Fascinating Facts About Sea Sponges

    Uploaded by

    ADG Maharlika
    Sea sponges are one of the simplest multi-cellular organisms that have existed on Earth for 500 million years. They lack features like brains and hearts but can filter huge amounts of water daily to feed by ingesting plankton and other microorganisms. Sponges play an important role in the ecosystem by excreting nutrients and absorbing carbon dioxide, and come in over 5,000 identified species, with some living for hundreds of years.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    17 Fascinating Facts About Sea

    Sponges
    The sea sponge is one of the world’s simplest multi-cellular living organisms. They have
    been present on Earth for around 500 million years. There are over 5,000 identified
    species – 200 of which can be found in fresh water.
    They are often mistaken as corals or plants; lacking the features we commonly associate
    with living animals, such as brains and hearts. Nevertheless, despite their seemingly
    uninteresting appearance, sponges are actually vital and dynamic creatures. Here are 17
    fascinating facts about them.

    1. Sponges belong to the phylum Porifera, Latin for “pore-bearer”, which refers to
    the countless tiny openings, or “ostia“, visible on all sponges.

    2. Sea sponges are “filter feeders“, as they feed by actively filtering water through their
    pores, ingesting water-borne plankton and other simple microscopic life.

    3. Sponges can filter a huge mount of water every day – roughly 20,000 TIMES their own
    volume.

    4. Sponges excrete essential nutrients, and are extremely important nutrient sources in
    the marine ecosystem.

    5. Sponges are also now recognised as a vital carbon sink, absorbing carbon
    dioxide from the water.

    6. One family of sponges, the Cladorhizidae, feed on tiny crustaceans.

    7. All adult sponges are sessile (they do not move).

    8. Some sponges have spiny defensive “spicules”, made out of a mesh of protein,
    spongil, and calcium carbonate.

    9. Sea sponges are hermaphrodites, with the characteristics of both sexes. Reproduction
    amongst sponges occurs in two forms, sexual and asexual:
    • During sexual reproduction, sponges release sperm into the water column, which is then
    absorbed by other sponges. Fertilisation takes place within the receiving sponge which will
    then release larvae into the water to form the next generation.
    • Asexual reproduction involves producing genetic clones. Sponges will grow “gemmules”,
    which bud, break off, and then settle elsewhere.

    10. Sponge larvae have cilia, or tiny hairs, that they use to propel themselves through
    the water to find a good place for them to settle.

    11. Sea sponges contain a significant amount of iodine. As a result, from the time of the
    ancient Greeks and Romans, through to the Middle Ages, people used them
    for medicinal purposes. Scientists are currently researching sea sponges for possible
    applications in the treatment of cancer.
    12. The size of a sponge is determined by the rates at which water can flow through their
    body. Large, healthy sponges can often be found in places through which nutrient-rich
    currents flow.

    13. The smallest species of sea sponge is around THREE CENTIMETRES, with the average
    size of the largest sea sponge being from one to two metres.

    14. The largest sea sponge ever discovered was a Monoraphus sponge that grew to be
    over THREE METRES WIDE.

    15. Sea sponges can be found in all oceans of the world, from the tropics to the poles.

    16. Sponges inhabit a huge range of marine ecosystems, from intertidal zones down to
    the deep ocean trenches, and from sunlit reefs to dark caves.

    17. Some sponge species may live for 200 YEARS or more. Based on growth rates,
    scientists speculate that some specimens could be as much as 5,000 YEARS OLD.

    You might also like