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The Classification, Morphology, Habitat, and Life Cycle of Marine Sponges

The Classification, Morphology, Habitat, and Life Cycle of Marine Sponges


Marine sponges are primitive organisms classified as invertebrates within the kingdom Animalia. They are called "primitive" because they lack true tissues or organs. Sponges are commonly referred to as Porifera due to their porous body structure. The phylum Porifera is estimated to include more than 8,000 species. Sponges/Porifera are divided into 3 classes: Calcarea, Hexactinellida, and Demospongiae. Calcarea are calcareous sponges composed of calcium carbonate (spicules) shaped like needles. Members of this class are generally around 4 cm in size and tubular in shape. Hexactinellida are a class of marine sponges that contain silicate and lack spongin. Demospongiae are freshwater sponges that do not have triaxon spicules but have monaxon forms. Extinct sponge classes include Archaeocyatha, Sphinctozoa, and Stromatoporoidea.


Porifera are multicellular animals with a simple body structure. This phylum has various shapes such as spherical, tubular, branching, fan-shaped, etc. Generally, their size ranges from 3–10 nm, although some can reach 1.5–2 m. Sponges are characterized by a porous structure attached to a substrate. The pores of sponges function as water inlets that supply nutrients for growth. The pores also serve as channels for the digestive, nervous, and respiratory systems.


The skeleton of a sponge consists of spicules or an external framework that supports the body, shaped either separately or interconnected. Sponge spicules are composed of inorganic components such as calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) or silica (SiO₂). The body of this organism is made up of collagen fibrils in the mesohyl. This organism does not have a true body cavity and is classified as diploblastic, having two outer body layers: the pinacoderm composed of pinacocytes, and the inner choanoderm composed of choanocytes as body protection. Some types of sponges consist of mesoglea.


The water canal system of sponges consists of several parts: ostia, incurrent canals, choanocyte chambers, apopyles, excurrent canals, and osculum. Sponges have 4 types of canal systems:

a. Asconoid: internal cavity

b. Syconoid: choanocyte chambers from the cortex to the atrium

c. Sylleibid: choanocyte chambers radially from the atrial cavity to invaginations

d. Leuconoid: choanocytes in the mesohyl


The habitat of sponges (Porifera) is generally found in the intertidal zone and is divided into several marine and freshwater species. Sponge distribution is wide and they have varying levels of adaptation. Sponges usually grow well and are abundant in areas with relatively warm temperatures. This organism is commonly found in waters with calm currents. This condition is one way for sponges to minimize sediment clogging in their pores. Clogged pores by sediment can result in loss of nutrient intake, thus affecting sponge survival. These animals generally survive by attaching their bodies to substrates such as rocks, shells, sand, mud, etc.


Sponges have two sexes within one body (hermaphroditic) and have both asexual and sexual reproductive systems. Asexual reproduction in sponges occurs through budding, resulting in colonies. Small buds are called gemmules and are generally produced by marine sponges. Gemmules consist of spongin and are produced massively when the sponge dies. Gemmules generally remain in a "dormant" phase under extreme conditions of temperature and salinity. Under normal conditions, gemmules will grow and form new sponges.


Water currents can break the sponge body and carry it to other places, and the broken body parts can grow again because they have archaeocyte cells that produce mesohyl and amoebocytes for the fragmentation process. Sexual reproduction in sponges occurs in the mesenchyme of hermaphroditic sponges, which produce both egg cells from amoebocytes and sperm cells from choanocytes. Fertilized eggs will look for a place to attach and will grow into new individuals.

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