Sponge reefs

(noun)

Sponge reefs serve an important ecological function as habitat, breeding, and nursery areas for fish and invertebrates. The reefs are currently threatened by the fishery, offshore oil, and gas industries.

Related Terms

  • syncytia
  • silica

Examples of Sponge reefs in the following topics:

  • Sponge Communities

    • These sponge reefs are considered to be "living fossils. "
    • There are no known predators of healthy reef sponges.
    • Each living sponge on the surface of the reef can be over 1.5 m tall.
    • The growth of sponge reefs is thus analogous to that of coral reefs.
    • This chain of sponge reefs is the largest known biostructure to have ever existed on Earth.
  • Marine Habitats

    • Reefs comprise some of the densest and most diverse habitats in the world.
    • The best-known types of reefs are tropical coral reefs, which exist in most tropical waters; however, reefs can also exist in cold water.
    • Reefs are built up by corals and other calcium-depositing animals, usually on top of a rocky outcrop on the ocean floor.
    • Reefs can also grow on other surfaces; this has made it possible to create artificial reefs.
    • Coral reefs provide marine habitats for tube sponges, which in turn become marine habitats for fishes.
  • Marine Biomes

    • The ocean and coral reefs make up two types of marine biomes where organisms are influenced by depth and light availability.
    • Within the ocean, coral reefs are a second kind of marine biome.
    • Due to the dead organisms that fall from the upper layers of the ocean, this nutrient-rich portion of the ocean allows a diversity of life to exist, including fungi, sponges, sea anemones, marine worms, sea stars, fishes, and bacteria.
    • Other coral reef systems are fringing islands, which are directly adjacent to land, or atolls, which are circular reef systems surrounding a former landmass that is now underwater.
    • Describe coral reefs and the various zones in the ocean and the types of organisms living in each
  • Coral Reefs

  • Sea Coral and Sea Anemone Zooxanthellae

    • They are also harbored by various species of sponges, flatworms, mollusks (e.g. giant clams), foraminifera (soritids), and some ciliates.
    • These dinoflagellates are therefore among the most abundant eukaryotic microbes found in coral reef ecosystems.
  • Physiological Processes in Sponges

    • All cell types within the sponge obtain oxygen from water through diffusion.
    • Sponges reproduce by sexual, as well as, asexual methods.
    • Gemmules are environmentally-resistant structures produced by adult sponges wherein the typical sponge morphology is inverted.
    • Sexual reproduction in sponges occurs when gametes are generated.
    • In some sponges, production of gametes may occur throughout the year, whereas other sponges may show sexual cycles depending upon water temperature.
  • Morphology of Sponges

    • In addition to the osculum, sponges have multiple pores called ostia on their bodies that allow water to enter the sponge.
    • In other sponges, ostia are formed by folds in the body wall of the sponge.
    • Choanocytes ("collar cells") are present at various locations, depending on the type of sponge; however, they always line the inner portions of some space through which water flows: the spongocoel in simple sponges; canals within the body wall in more complex sponges; and chambers scattered throughout the body in the most complex sponges.
    • Whereas pinacocytes line the outside of the sponge, choanocytes tend to line certain inner portions of the sponge body that surround the mesohyl.
    • The specialized cell types in sponges (b) each perform a distinct function.
  • Phylum Porifera

    • Phylum Porifera ("pori" = pores, "fera" = bearers) are popularly known as sponges.
    • The majority of sponges are marine, living in seas and oceans.
    • There is, however, one family of fresh water sponges (Family Spongillidae).
    • Sponges are classified within four classes: calcareous sponges (Calcarea), glass sponges (Hexactinellida), demosponges (Demospongiae), and the recently-recognized, encrusting sponges (Homoscleromorpha) .
    • Since water is vital to sponges for excretion, feeding, and gas exchange, their body structure facilitates the movement of water through the sponge.
  • Nerve and Blood Supply

    • The synovial cartilage in the capsule acts somewhat like a sponge.
    • A sponge will absorb fluid, but it will release little of that fluid unless it is squeezed.
    • Exercising the joint, in effect, squeezes the synovial "sponge", allowing gas exchange to occur and nutrients to flow into the cartilage.
    • Flexing and extending the joint alternately squeezes the sponge and releases it to reabsorb more fluid.
  • Complex Tissue Structure

    • Animals, besides Parazoa (sponges), are characterized by specialized tissues such as muscle, nerve, connective, and epithelial tissues.
    • The animal kingdom is divided into Parazoa (sponges) and Eumetazoa (all other animals).
    • Sponges, such as those in the Caribbean Sea, are classified as Parazoans because they are very simple animals that do not contain true specialized tissues.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.