Republic of the Philippines

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Gov. Pablo Borbon Campus II
Alangilan, Batangas City

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Biology Department

LAB ACTIVITY NO. 15

PORIFERA (SPONGES)

Group No. 2/ Name: Bauyon, Kristel Joy A. Date: November 07, 2020
Course/Block: BSBIO-1102

I. Introduction
Sponges are sessile aquatic organisms, considered to be amongst the first and simplest
metazoans. They comprise a highly successful and variable group, inhabiting both marine and
freshwater habitats. Their success is closely linked to their varied reproductive strategies (sexual
and asexual), extensive regenerative abilities and the adaptability of their simple body
organization, which consists of specialized cells that are not organized into tissues or organs.
Sponges are made up of an intricate system of chambers interconnected by canals, which are
lined with flattened cells (pinacocytes) that also form the outside ‘skin’ of the sponge. These
chambers are lined with flagella-bearing cells (choanocytes) that generate a unidirectional water
current, enabling the sponge to draw in ambient water through small inhalant pores (ostia) and
filter out microscopic food particles. Filtered water is then expelled through fewer, larger
exhalant openings (oscules). A collagenous matrix (the mesohyl) ill the space between the canals
and chambers, harboring other mobile cells, supporting ibres and inorganic structures of the
skeleton. The latter may include spicules composed of either calcium carbonate or silica, which
are present in many species. Spicules come in an array of forms, with observations of their type,
shape, combination and arrangement enabling the identification of a specimen. Without this
information, sponges can be very difficult to identify, with individuals often demonstrating
morphological plasticity according to environmental conditions. Sponges are of great ecological,
commercial and evolutionary importance. As a competitive component of marine benthic
communities, they serve as a food source for other organisms, as well as a biological habitat
and/or host for associated species. They also enable coupling and primary production through
microbial symbionts. Furthermore, sponges may act as bioeroders and environmental quality
indicators. From an anthropogenic point of view, sponges played an important role in ancient
society, and continue to do so today. In the past, sponges were used as household items, for
personal hygiene, for the relief of pain, for treating disease, and in art. More recently, interest in
sponges is largely due to their production of novel chemical compounds, which may have
potential biomedical and anti-fouling applications. In addition, their skeletal structures have
instigated further interest due to their unique optical and mechanical properties, which may
enable future manufacturing of advanced materials. Globally, there are around 8 500 extant
sponge species, with the vast majority (83%) belonging to the class Demospongiae. South Africa
has recorded 347 sponge species, comprising around 4% of sponge diversity worldwide.
However, local taxonomic knowledge of this phylum is largely incomplete. Sponge spicules and
 mucus may be harmful to humans, causing abrasions or severe dermatitis. Sponges may be fragile
and often demonstrate dramatic post-collection (and preservation) changes in both form and
coloration (e.g. lose color in ethanol). Thus, taking clear photographs (with a scale bar) and
documenting observations shortly after collection is essential.

Hypothesis
If we were able to observe the living organisms under the microscope, then we would know what
their ways of eating, their special ways in locomotion, as well as their body parts and how does
this body parts contribute to the over-all well-being of the organism.

Objectives

II. Materials
 Depression slides
 Coverslips
 Live samples of
a. Scypha cs & Scypha mls
b. Gemmules, wm
c. Scypha spicule strew
d. Euplectella skeleton
e. Class Hexactinellida

III.Procedures
a) Observe the variety of sponges, preserved and illustrated, and be able to recognize
which of the three types of canal systems each demonstrates
b) Observe the variety of sponges, preserved and illustrated, and be able to recognize
to which of the major classes each of them belong
c) Note the symbiotic shrimps trapped within the venus flower basket (class:
hexactinellidae), how did they get there and why are they there?
d) Observe the holes made by boring sponges (class: demospongiae) and draw a few
examples
e) View the examples of glass sponge and commercial sponges under dissecting
scope; try to distinguish between the skeleton of silica fibers and that of spongin
fibers; make sketches to illustrate the difference.
Osculum

pinacocytes

Choanocytes
IV. Observations
 Gemmules Scypha spicule strew

Euplectella skeleton A Venus’ flower basket

V. Analysis
1. What are the defining characteristics of the phylum Porifera?
 The cells of Poriferans are loosely organized.
 They are mostly found in marine water. Only a few are found in freshwater.
 They are either radially symmetrical or asymmetrical.
 Their body is usually cylindrical.
  The scleroblast secretes spicules while spongin fibres are secreted by
spongioblasts.
 They have no organs in their body.
 The body comprises numerous pores known as Ostia and osculum.
 The central cavity is called spongocoel or atrium which opens to the outside
through the osculum.
 They reproduce asexually by budding, and fragmentation.
 The nutrition is holozoic.
 The development is indirect and the cleavage is holoblastic.
 The exchange of respiratory gases and nitrogenous wastes occurs by the
process of diffusion.
2. How do sponges move?
Although adult sponges are fundamentally sessile animals, some marine and
freshwater species can move across the sea bed at speeds of 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in)
per day, as a result of amoeba-like movements of pinacocytes and other cells.
3. What senses do sponges possess?
Sponges have no nervous system or organs like most animals do. This means they
don't have eyes, ears or the ability to physically feel anything. However, they do have
specialized cells like nerve nets that carry out different functions within their bodies.
4. Which body type does not have a spongocoel?
Leuconoid sponges lack a spongocoel and instead have flagellated chambers,
containing choanocytes, which are led to and out of via canals.
5. Which body type has more than one osculum?
Leucon sponges are the most complex of the sponge body forms and also most
common. These sponges have multiple dermal pores and can have more than one
osculum.
6. Where do choanocytes occur in each body type?
Asconoid- dotting the surface of the spongocoel
Syconoid- the radial canals
Leuconoid- comprise entirely the chambers
7. Make notes on the types of reproduction in sponges.
Sponges are able to reproduce both sexually using gametes and asexually by budding.
Even though sponges are hermaphroditic, individuals will only make one type of
gamete at a time.There are two forms of asexual reproduction that sponges can go
through: external budding and internal budding.
8. Describe in words the major differences between the different types of body
organization; what are the similarities?
Asconoid sponges are tubular with a central shaft called the spongocoel. The beating of
choanocyte flagella force water into the spongocoel through pores in the body wall.
Choanocytes line the spongocoel and filter nutrients out of the water. Syconoid sponges
are similar to asconoids. They have a tubular body with a single osculum, but the body
wall is thicker and more complex than that of asconoids and contains choanocyte-lined
radial canals that empty into the spongocoel. Water enters through a large number of
 dermal ostia into incurrent canals and then filters through tiny openings called prosopyles
into the radial canals. There food is ingested by the choanocytes. Syconoids do not
usually form highly branched colonies as asconoids do. During their development,
syconoid sponges pass through an asconoid stage. Leuconoid sponges lack a spongocoel
and instead have flagellated chambers, containing choanocytes, which are led to and out
of via canals.

VI. Conclusion
The phylum Porifera comprises the sponges. Sponges are simple invertebrate
animals that live in aquatic habitats. Although the majority of sponges are marine, some
species live in freshwater lakes and streams. They are found in shallow ocean
environments to depths as great as five kilometers (km). All adult sponges are sessile,
meaning they live permanently attached to rocks or other submerged objects and do not
move about on their own. Some sponges grow in thin encrusting layers over surfaces. A
few species can even bore into hard surfaces like clam shells, coral skeletons, and rock.
Many sponge species grow upright in branching tree-like or tubular vase-like forms.
While some sponges, like the giant barrel sponges of the Caribbean, reach several meters
in diameter, most sponges are small organisms that often go unnoticed on the reef or
seafloor because they don’t look like other, more familiar, animals or noticeably move.
Many of the small sponges that hide under rocks or live on coral reefs are colored in
vivid hues of red, yellow, orange, purple, crimson, sky blue, and ultramarine. Sponges are
characterized by the possession of a feeding system unique among animals. Poriferans
don't have mouths; instead, they have tiny pores in their outer walls through which water
is drawn. Cells in the sponge walls filter goodies from the water as the water is pumped
through the body and out other larger openings. The flow of water through the sponge is
unidirectional, driven by the beating of flagella which line the surface of chambers
connected by a series of canals. Sponge cells perform a variety of bodily functions and
appear to be more independent of each other than are the cells of other animals