what describes Porifera?
when did porifera emerge?
530 million years ago
how many living species?
15 000
what 3 things are distinguishing characters of sponges?
3 cell types of sponges
spicule
used as a skeleton
archaeocyte
can be anything at any time. wander thru mesohyl. sometimes sperm, sometimes egg, sometimes collar cell
sclerocyte
makes the spicules. ‘sclero’ means hard
Mesohyl
means a matrix of some sort of tissue
pinacocyte
forms the outside of the cell, gives it some sort of rigidity
choanocyte
collar-cell. these cells move water. b/c food, feces and reproduction
Ostium/ostia
one ostia, pleural ostium. Pore.
what are the four cell layers of a sponge?
spongocoel
chaonoderm
mesohyl
pinacoderm
describe a sponge’s skeleton
what are the three types of sponges?
Calcarea
- shallow water (less than 100m)
Demospongiae
siliceous spicules
what is the black covering on bath sponges called?
pellicle
where is it common to fish for bath sponge?
gulf of mexico, caribbean, mediterranean
how are sponges fished for?
trawling, diving, intertidal collection
how is the processing done for commercial sponges?
open air to die
back in marine to remove pellicle
beaten to remove non-associated organic parts
bleached to give yellowish color
Hexactinellida
when did sponge reefs emerge?
145mya (jurassic)
where in BC do we find sponge reefs?