Porifera -- Animals
Evolutionary Milestones
Poriferas are eukaryotic, like protists, fungi, and plants.
Habitat
Most poriferas live in the ocean, but some live in freshwater.
Anatomical/Structural Features
Poriferas are multicellular with no backbone, and their bodies have many pores to allow water to pass through.
Symmetry
Poriferas are asymmetrical.
How They Acquire Nutrients
Poriferas are heterotrophs and are filter feeders.
What They Eat
Poriferas are filter feeders, which means they let water pass through them as they eat whatever is floating in the water.
What Eats Them
Many fish and other aquatic organisms eat poriferas.
Mobility
Adult poriferas are sessile, meaning they do not move, while the larvae can swim using cilia.
Reproduction
Poriferas can reproduce either sexually or asexually. If asexually, they can use fragmentation (a fragment breaks off from parent and form new sponges), budding, or regeneration. If sexually, they use internal fertilization, which is where the eggs remain and the sperm are carried by the flow of water through the sponge. Most sexually reproducing poriferas are hermaphrodites (have both male and female parts on the same organism), but some have separate sexes.
Development
The larvae of poriferas are free-swimming. It finds a spot to attach to and starts growing into an adult.
Examples
Poriferas are more commonly known as sponges.
Other Information
The phylum of poriferas includes three classes: demospongiae, calcarea, and hexactinellida.
Poriferas are eukaryotic, like protists, fungi, and plants.
Habitat
Most poriferas live in the ocean, but some live in freshwater.
Anatomical/Structural Features
Poriferas are multicellular with no backbone, and their bodies have many pores to allow water to pass through.
Symmetry
Poriferas are asymmetrical.
How They Acquire Nutrients
Poriferas are heterotrophs and are filter feeders.
What They Eat
Poriferas are filter feeders, which means they let water pass through them as they eat whatever is floating in the water.
What Eats Them
Many fish and other aquatic organisms eat poriferas.
Mobility
Adult poriferas are sessile, meaning they do not move, while the larvae can swim using cilia.
Reproduction
Poriferas can reproduce either sexually or asexually. If asexually, they can use fragmentation (a fragment breaks off from parent and form new sponges), budding, or regeneration. If sexually, they use internal fertilization, which is where the eggs remain and the sperm are carried by the flow of water through the sponge. Most sexually reproducing poriferas are hermaphrodites (have both male and female parts on the same organism), but some have separate sexes.
Development
The larvae of poriferas are free-swimming. It finds a spot to attach to and starts growing into an adult.
Examples
Poriferas are more commonly known as sponges.
Other Information
The phylum of poriferas includes three classes: demospongiae, calcarea, and hexactinellida.