Sponges are multicellular organisms consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells, and usually have tube-like bodies full of pores and channels that allow water to circulate through them.

Sponges — simple aquatic animals with dense, yet porous, skeletons — are highly adapted to their environments. A variety of sponges dot the seascape of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. From round to encrusting to branching, the colors and textures of sponges add to the complexity of the reef. Credit: G.P. Schmahl. Did you know?

Sponges play essential ecological roles in marine ecosystems. They provide habitat and shelter for a variety of organisms, and some species even form symbiotic relationships with other marine organisms, such as shrimp or small fish.

2020年5月18日 · So what exactly are marine sponges? Named purely by their appearance, sponges are from the phylum Porifera. There are over 11,000 described species and 9000 living species. Around 150 of these live in freshwater and the rest are found in …

2024年11月20日 · Sea sponges play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, providing habitat and food for a wide range of marine animals. They also help to filter the water, removing particles and excess nutrients. Additionally, sea sponges are an important part of the coral reef ecosystem, and their loss can have significant impacts on the health and biodiversity ...

Out of all marine-related compounds discovered, 30 percent have come from sponges, making them the most prolific group for novel compounds. Many of these chemicals express antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimalarial, or anti-inflammation …

2018年12月27日 · The Sea sponges are invertebrate marine animals that can live in fresh and salty waters. These striking creatures bear characteristics that really worth to learn about. They belong to the phylum Porifera which means «pore bearers» and bear features that until 1825 were not recognized as characteristics of the animal kingdom.

2007年5月24日 · Marine sponges (phylum Porifera) are among the oldest multicellular animals (metazoans), the sea's most prolific producers of bioactive metabolites, and of considerable ecological importance...

Variety of sponges, their toxicology, metagenomics, pharmaceutical significance and their possible applications in biomedicine has been discussed in detail. The second half of this part includes chapters on chemical ecology of marine sponges followed by the discussion on importance of bioeroding sponges in aquaculture systems.

2008年3月30日 · They’ve been around for at least 500 million years, and today, there are more than 5,000 species, scattered across all the oceans of the world. And they come in a lot of shapes and sizes — from small, spiny lumps to long, narrow tubes. One of the sponge’s most interesting traits is the way it eats. A sponge’s body is filled with tiny pores.