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The Phylum Porifera includes the animals commonly known as sponges. This is a diverse group, with about 5000 known species. Most are marine, but around 150 species live in fresh water. Considered the simplest of the animals, the cells of sponges are organized into tissues, but the tissues are not organized into organs. Their bodies are a sort of loose aggregation of different kinds of cells. Sponges are characterized by a unique feeding system involving a system of pores and canals through which water passes. The four Classes of sponges are Calcarea (Calcispongiae), Hexactinellida (Hyalospongiae), Demospongiae, and Sclerospongiae (considered by many to be a subclass of Demospongiae).

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Science » Earth Sciences » Paleontology » Invertebrates » Sponges (1)

Links:

Phylum Porifera (Sponges) Description of the sponges and their taxonomy, from the Animal Diversity Web. animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/porifera.html

Hermit Crab Sponges An article by Floyd Sandford about the sponges that are carried around by hermit crabs. www.public.coe.edu/departments/Biology/hermit.html

Introduction to Porifera A good start on the biology of sponges, including phylogeny, life history, and ecology. www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/porifera/porifera.html

Khoyatan Sponge Page - Sponges of The Northeast Pacific Photographs of four Classes of sponges in the Khoyatan Marine Laboratory. mareco.org/spongepage/index.htm

Porifera Biology on the WWW A central clearinghouse for sponge researchers, including a porifera listserver bulletin board and who's who in sponge research. www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/porifera/files

The Sponges of British Columbia Descriptions of sponges by Curt Smecher. www.interchg.ubc.ca/csmecher/sponge.htm

Underwater Field Guide to Sponges of Ross Island & McMurdo Sound, Antarctica Beautiful annotated photographs of sponges (Porifera) of Antarctica. scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/fguide/porifera.html