1. Phylum Porifera

2. Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Porifera (sponges)
Classes: Calcarea (calcerous sponges - having spicules),

3. Porifera
A. Sponge-like animal that are pore bearers. They are the most primitive of the multicellular animals.
B. Sessile – At the sponges adult life the larva settles down on a surface and attaches permanently for life.
C. Pore – Bearing – sponges body is covered with pores that allows surrounding nutrient filled water to enter the body cavity through these pores.
reason why they are not classified as plants.
A. sponge cells lack cell walls
B. sponges are heterotrophic
C. sponges have few specialized cells

4. 1. Osculum – top opening on the sponge where waters leaves.
3. Sponge structure
A. Sponges use different types of structures and cells for different purposes
1. Osculum – top opening on the sponge where waters leaves.
2. Collar cells - Choanocytes
a. Whip like flagella that beat water through the body wall into the central cavity and snag food particle from the water.

6. 2. Amoebocytes - Archaeocytes
a. Wandering cells
b. Digest and distribute food
c. Produce components of the sponge
skeleton
3. Spicules
a. crystal like spikes support its body
b. made of CaCO3 or SiO2
c. can interlock for rigid network
4. Spongin
a. protein which also supports the body
b. soft, flexible, elastic = “spongy”

8. 4. Reproduction
A. Sexual - hermaphrodites
1. Produce sperm and eggs
2. Released into the water and hope it finds
its way to another sponge.
3. If sperm enters a pore, the amoebocyst will transport the sperm to an egg to fertilize it.
4. The zygote will develop into a free swimming larva.

9. Asexual 3 ways: Budding – Piece breaks off and grows into a new sponge
Regeneration – grows off of sponge cells or can grow off the body of a sponge.
Gemmules- hard covered amebocyt cells that are produced when the adult sponge dies. They will lie dormant and grow later.