Phylum

Porifera
 Phylum Porifera
• Latin porus meaning “pore” and ferre meaning “to bear”.

• Thus, Porifere translates to pore-bearing organisms.

• Sessile with porous bodies and choanocytes.

 Characteristics
• Simplest of all animals.

• Contain specialized cells but no other organization level.

• Most are marine but some are freshwater. Saltwater

sponges are brightly colored while freshwater sponges
are small and usually dull green colored.

• Porifera sizes from 2 centimeters to 2 meters.

 Characteristics
FOOD AND WATER WAYS
• Water enters the organism through
pores bringing in food and oxygen.

• Consumes planktons as source of

nutrients through filter feeding.

• Osculum
• A large opening at the top where
excess water leaves the body.
 Characteristics
CELL LAYERS
• Inside body cavity of sponge is hallow
called spongocoel. It has 2 layers:
• Outer ectoderm
• Inner endoderm

• Between these cell layer lies the

mesohyl which is a jelly-like material.
Characteristics
CHOANOCYTES
• Collar cells that line inside the
body cavity.
• Have single falegallum whose
beating drives the water
currents that keep the sponge
alive and healthy.
• Collar traps plankton from
water. A filter which strains out
the smallest food items from
the water.
Characteristics
Amoebocytes
• Picks up food from choanocytes
• They are also responsible for the
following:
• Finishing food digestion
• Food storage
• Gamete production (or other
reproductive cells)
• Spicule production (the skeleton
of the sponge)
Characteristics
 Characteristics

ASSYMETRICAL
• All porifera does not display any
symmetrical pattern in their body
shapes.
 Characteristics
REPRODUCTION
• They simply reproduce through
fragmentation or budding.
• As the fragmented organism is
produced, it becomes a free swimming
larva called Dipleurula. Then it would
settle and become sessile in adult.

• However, other sponge are also

hermaphrodites that produces both egg
and sperm. Cross-fertilization is done by
releasing eggs and sperm into the water
from the osculum.
 Characteristics
SKELETAL STRUCTURE
• Skeletons are made of network of protein fibers called spongin.
• Spicules are hard spear or star-shaped structures which is made of CACO3
(limestone) or silica (glass).
 Characteristics
SKELETAL STRUCTURE
• Skeletons are made of network of protein fibers called spongin.
• Spicules are hard spear or star-shaped structures which is made of CACO3
(limestone) or silica (glass).

Spongin Silica Spicules Limestone Spicuees

 Characteristics
BODY PLANS
• Ascon or asconoid as the simplest form.
• Sycon or Syconoid which looks like a modified asconoid.
• Leucon or leuconoid being the most complex body plan.
 Taxonomic Diversity
There are four major classes

Class Class Class Calcerea Class

Demospongea Hexactinellida Sclerospongiae
 Class Demospongea

• They have siliceous spicules that are

not six-rayed or sponging fiber or
both. Possess leuconoid type of body
plan

• All are marine for a few that can be

found thriving in freshwater.
 Class Hexactinellida

• Often called as glass sponges

possessing six-rayed siliceous splicules.

• Has a body plan of either syconoid or

leuconoid arrangement.

• Mostly thrives in deep marine

environemt.
 Class Calcarea

• Possesses calcareous spicules that are

three to four-rayed and often forms a
fringe around the osculum.

• All three type of body types are

represented by this class

• All organisms under this class only

thrive in marine environment
 Class Sclerospongiae

• These sponges have a skeleton constructed from calcium carbonate,

silica and spongin. They have a thin, living layer covering a massive
underlying skeleton of aragonite-silica and spongin which support the
cells.

• These are the coralline sponges which are mostly known from fossils.
But there are still few known modern ones to survive.
 Philippine Porifera

Paratetilla bacca Biemma fortis Acanthella cavernosa Cribrochalina alomda

Xestospongia
Liosina pradoxa Stylissa massa Haliclona amboinensis testudinaria
Source: https://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/starfish-guide-for-philippines-how-many.html