CHAPTER 5: PHYLUM PORIFERA
choanoderm
- pore bearers
-Sponges are a conspicious and colorful component of many
seascapes.
Filter feeding- multicellular body uniquely specialized.
-separation of suspended food particles from water by passing
them through a mesh that strains out the food.
Dynamic tissues
Totipotent cells
-they suggest that sponges are an intermediate form between
protozoan colonies and other metazoans in which tissue and cell
specializations tend to be more permanent.
Indeterminate growth- enlargement without a fixed upper size limit.
- The growth forms may be massive, erect, branching,or
encrusting , depending on the species and environtmental conditions.
Form
Filter feeding of a sponge is built around one of three anatomical
designs:
asconoid
syconoid
leuconoid
ASCONOID- simplest
- hollow cylinder attached by its base
to the substratum.
Pinacoderm- platter skin
- body surface is covered by monolayer
cells.
Atrium(or spongocoel)- hollow interior
Choanoderm- collar skin
- monolayer of flagellated collar cells
Ostia- small pores; perforate the cylinder wall
Osculum- larger opening; upper free end of the body
the flagellated choanoderm creates a unidirectional water flow that
enters the ostia, passes over the choanoderm en route to the atrium,
and exits through the ocsulum.
Aquiferous System- circulatory system of choanoderm, pores and
chambers
all asconoid sponges are small and have cylindrical, or tubular,
bodies, which typically do not exceed a diameter of 1mm.
SYNCONOID- increaces surface area and reduced atrial volume by
forming alternating inpockets and outpockets of the body wall.
Choanocyte chambers (or radial canals)- outpockets of the
Incurrent canals- inpockets of the pinacoderm
Prosopyles- front gates; numerous small openings
Water flow in the synconoid aquiferous system route:
ostia->incurrent canals ->prosopyles -> choanocyte chambers ->atrium
-> osculum
LEUCONOID- large body sizes, ranging from a few centimeters to more
than one meter
excurrent canals- replace the relatively voluminous atrium and single
osculum of asconoid and synconoid sponges.
Apopyle- back gate
-where water exits each choanocyte chamber and then flows trough
the excurrent canals, which become progressively larger in diameter
as they join with other excurrent canals.
Body Wall
-thin in asconoid; thick in most leuconoid; intermediate thickness in
synconoid
Synctium- large or extensive multinucleated cytoplasm enclosed by an
external membrane but not divided into cells by internal
membranes.
Cellular
The bodies of demosponges and calcareous sponges are composed of
Epitheloid tissue
Connective tissue
EPITHELOID TISSUE- resembles epithelium but it lacks epitheliums
intercellular junctions and hemidesmosomes and is not underlaid by a
basal lamina.
Exopinacoderm- covers outer surface of the body
Endopinacoderm- incurrent and excurrent canals
Asconoid design- flagellated choanoderm which forms the atrial lining
Mesohyl- connective-tissue layer between the pinacoderm and
choanoderm
- it forms a bushy, fibrous network that is especially obvious in bath
sponges
- one layer of the sponge body wall that typically not bathed with env.
water
- sole internal compartment
- as connective tissue, composed of proteinaceous, gel matrix contains
differentiated and undifferentiated cells like skeletal muscles.
Pinacoderm consists of:
Pinacocyte
Porocyte
Pinacocyte- flattened(squamous)
- lack flagella (except Plankina and Ocarella)
Porocyte- from the ostia of all asconoid and many synconoid and
leuconoid
- also constitute prosopyles and apopyles of many synconoid and
leuconoid
- surrounds a pore, regulated by contraction of cytoplasm filaments
- miniature sphincter valves
Archeocytes- progenitor cells
- machropage like
- large ameboid cells bearing a nucleus and numerous large lysosomes
- totipotent and can differentiate into any other type of sponge cell
- phagocytic and play a role in digestion and internal tranport
Lophocytes- crest cells
- archeocyte-like ameboid cells that secrete collagen fibers
- produce and maintain the fine collagen fibers of mesohyl
Spongocytes- occur only in taxon Demospongiae
- resembles archeocyte; secrete collagen that polymerizes in spongin
Spongin- thick skeletal fibers
Sclerocytes- hard cells
- secrete the mineralized skeletal spicules of many sponges
Myocytes- muscle cells
- muscle like cells; containing actin and myosin that aggregate around
the oscula of some demosponges
- they regulate the size of the oscular aperture; help to control water
flow
Oocytes and Spermatocytes
- reproductive cells that undergo gametogenesis in the mesohyl to form
sperm and eggs.
Choanocytes- collar cells/flagellated collar cells
- generate water flow thorugh the sponge
- have an apical collar of long microvilli around a single flagellum
Syncytial
Trabecular Syncytium- living tissue in hexactenellids, arrange in three-
dimensional, cobweb-like strands
Choanosynctium- cellular choanoderm is absent
Collar bodies- each with collar and flagellum but lacks nucleus
- occupies a synconoid-like pocket that is supported by the trabecular
network
- many collar bodies arise in a single nucleated stem cell, choanoblast
Rhabdocalyptus dawsoni- mesohyl cells are joined to the trabecular
synctium by slender cellular extensions and partially syncytial
Dactylocalyx pumiceus- cells are reported independent of the synctium
gross anatomy of a hexactenellids is synconoid, but the aquiferous
system, both incurrent and excurrent canals, resembles the leuconoid
design.
Water in hexactenellids flows:
trabecular network-> incurrent canals-> collar-body chambers->
excurrent canals-> atrium -> osculum
Skeleton
chiefly mesohylar endoskeleton
sole skeleton is gelatinous mesohyl supported only by fine collagen
fibers
mesohylar matrix is supplemented with mineral spicules, spongin or
both
Demosponges(sclerosponges)secrete a massive basal exoskeleton
of CaCO3
some sponges lack spicules, but secrete organic spongin
Spicules are siliceous or calcareous whose composition, size, shape
are used at all levels in classification of sponges
Spicules are separated into two size classes: 1. megascleres 2.
Microscleres
1. Megascleres
- typically form the principal skeletal framework
2. Microscleres
- support the pinacodermal lining of the canal system or high density;
toughen the body wall
Spicules are secreted extracellularly by sclerocytes in calcareous
sponges, intracellularly in sclerocytes in demosponges, and
intrasynctially in glass sponge.
Locomotion and Dynamic Tissues
Mesohyl cells, are more or less in constant motion; endopinacocytes
and choanocytes can move about to remodel the aquiferous system
remodeling, involves addition or fusion of flagellated chambers and
branching of canals, may fine tune- to optimize water flow
Physiological Compartmentalization
Nutrition
Internal Transport, Gas Exchange and Excretion
Integration
Bioactive Metabolites and Biological Associations
Bioerosion
Reproduction
CLONAL REPRODUCTION
gemmules- fragmentation, budding and formation of overwintering
propagules
diapause- state of near metabolic arrest, then require a period of very
cold temperature before they activated , germinate, and differentiate
into a new sponge, usually in the spring.
micropyle- opening
thesocyte- spherical, resembles an embryonic cell
Sexual Reproduction and Development
spermatic cyst- sperm arise from choanocytes or entire choanocytes
chambers that sink into the mesohyl and become enclosed in a thin
cellular wall
follicle- egg and nurse cells together may be enclosed in ensheathing
cells of follicle
carrier cell- ameboid choanocyte
coeloblastula larva- produced by calcareous sponges
-larva is a hollow sphere composed of a single layer of flagellated cells
amphiblastula larva- develops as a hollow ball composed of two types,
anterior flagellated cells and posterior nonflagellated granular cells
- occurs in other calcareous sponges
parenchymella larva- characteristic of most demosponges
- embryo develops directly into a solid mass of cells, forming a
stereoblastula
trichimella larvae- typify the glass sponges
- stereoblastulae that bear a band of flagellated cells around the
equator of the larval body
olynthus- miniature asconoid

Diversity of Porifera

Symplasma SP (Hexactinellida)
- glass sponges; syncytial tissues; spicules are siliceous
triaxonal hexactines

Cellularia SP
- porifera with cellular tissues

Demospongiae C

Homoscleromorpha SC

Tetractinomorpha SC

Ceractinomorpha SC

Calcarea C

Calcinea SC

Calcaronea SC

Paleontology and Phylogeny of Porifera