All sponges have tiny pores where they intake water. Some have many branches or odd shapes, while others have a simple cylindrical shape. An immensely wide variety of shapes and sizes exist. Nutrient cycles occur within ecosystems.These odd creatures vary drastically in appearance. The process is regulated by food web pathways that decompose matter into mineral nutrients. Footnotes Footnote 1Ī nutrient cycle (or ecological recycling) is the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter. But so far their understanding is limited to a few key species. Scientists have only recently begun to look at the function of sponges in terms of how they help with nutrient cycling Footnote 1 and how they enhance the diversity of other types of animals. A few species can contract their whole bodies, and many can close their small mouth-like apertures, or oscula, and the ostia. But some marine and freshwater species can move very slowly across the sea bed as a result of amoeba-like movements of cells. water temperature changes), many freshwater species and a few marine ones produce gemmules (‘survival pods’) of unspecialized cells that remain dormant until conditions improve and then either form completely new sponges or recolonize the skeletons of their parents.Īdult sponges are basically sessile, meaning that they are immobile. ‘budding’: when conditions deteriorate (e.g.‘fragmentation’: sponges are known for regenerating from fragments that break off, although this only works if the fragment includes the right type of cells.‘sexual reproduction’: they release sperm into the water to fertilize eggs, which form larvae that swim off in search of places to settle.Sea sponges populate in three different ways: In this way, the sponge gathers the food and oxygen it needs to thrive, and releases waste. These pores allow water to flow in and out of the sponge. Sea sponges have a shell-like or glass outer layer covered with tiny pores (ostia) that travel deep into the soft structure within. Visit DFO’s page on Cold-water corals and sponge reefs for further information on sponges in the Maritimes. Trawl surveys have also helped identify sponge communities on the Scotian Shelf and along the Grand Banks, Flemish Cap and Labrador Shelf. Much of the information on the distribution of sponges in Atlantic Canada has been collected by fishery observers on-board commercial fishing vessels. They can be found in shallower depths throughout the inter-tidal zone or in water up to eight kilometres deep. There are even some freshwater species, too.Ībout 34 species of sponge thrive off of Canada’s Atlantic coast. They grow in all marine climates, from tropical to polar waters, and survive in all latitudes – from intertidal to the deepest regions of the sea. Sponges range in size from less than 3 cm to around 2 m (6 feet) in length. So today, most household sponges are made of synthetic materials. At one point, however, those sponges were overharvested. A small percentage of sponges are harvested for commercial use (think loofahs). Scientists have identified around 8,500 species, but more than 25,000 are believed to exist in the ocean. They grow in all different shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Sea sponges are one of the world’s simplest multi-cellular living organisms. They have no central nervous system, digestive system or circulatory system – and no organs! But they grow, reproduce and survive much as plants do. Yes, sea sponges are considered animals not plants. Photo credit: Coral & Sponge Conservation Strategy for Eastern Canada 2015
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