LIFE STAGES
Sexual Reproduction
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HabitatMost sponges live in a salt water environment, attached to objects on the sea floor. Less than 200 sponge species inhabit freshwater habitats.
Feeding/DigestionSponges are filter feeders and sift microscopic food from the water. The particles are digested and passed to the archaeocytes, which distribute the food throughout the sponge.
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Movement/LocomotionSponges are sedentary, meaning they cannot move around.
Sensory/Nervous SystemPorifera have no nervous system, but sponges can produce toxins that make them taste terrible.
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Support/ SkeletonHarder sponges have spicules, small spike-like structures made of calcium carbonate or silica. Softer sponge have an internal "skeleton" made of spongin, a protein.
Respiration/Circulation/ExcretionSponges need water constantly moving through their bodies. As water moves through, oxygen dissolved in the water diffuses into the cells. At the same time, waste products such as carbon dioxide and ammonia diffuse into the water and are carried away.
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TransportSponges have choanocytes, which are specialized cells that use flagella to move water through the sponge.
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Distinguishing FeaturesThey are asymmetrical, there is no front or back and no left or right side. The body of sponge forms a wall around a large central cavity and water is circulated through this cavity continuously. Water leaves through the osculum, which is a large hole at the top of the sponge.
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