Porifera: More on Morphology

Sponge bodies are diverse in form, ranging from encrusting sheets, to volcano-
shaped mounds, to tubes as small as one millimeter or as large as one meter, and to

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 upright sheets reminiscent of elephant ears. In all cases, poriferans have a canal
system, through which they pump water. Water enters through pores called ostia,
flows through canals to a spacious chamber called a spongocoel, and finally exits
through large openings called oscula.

Often, sponges are distinguished by the level of complexity exhibited by their bodies.
The simplest form consists of a single tube two cell layers thick. Poriferans with this
type of architecture are necessarily very small due to surface area to volume
constraints. In order for a sponge to attain greater size, the sponge wall must be
folded in on itself. A simple folding of the wall yields a sponge body with sycon
organization. The vast majority of sponges are organized in a more complex way, the
leucon condition, with folds upon folds, resulting in a series of flagellated chambers
connected by canals. Ascon, sycon, and leucon are levels of complexity that grade
one into the other.

What's going on inside sponges?

1. Sponge skeletons!

2. Sponge Cells!

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