These increase the habitat diversity on the bottom and this in turn increases species diversity. First, large areas on the continental shelf can be covered by sponges. Recently interest in sponges has increased greatly for two reasons. However, this is inadvisable with Icelandic cold water sponges as they contain small needle-like spicules that can badly irritate the skin. To identify the species a specialist is needed to look at the internal structure in a microscope.īathroom sponges were originally made from warm water sponge species. However, it is very difficult to identify sponges to species because of the great variation within each species and because many species are very similar. Many sponge species are found in Icelandic waters and they are especially conspicuous on hard bottom such as on the hydrothermal chimneys. Small food particles are filtered from the water by other specialized cells before the seawater is ejected through larger openings. These channels are lined with small cells called choanocytes that synchronously wave their flagella to draw seawater through pores into the sponge. Sponges have intricate networks of channels through their tissue. What’s more, even within a single species, there can be great variation in the shape of individual colonies.Īlmost all sponges are filter feeders, though ther are a few groups that feed by trapping tiny animals that come in contact with their sticky surface. Sponge shape can be classified into several rough groups: spherical, plate shaped, branching, conical, cylindrical, and plaque- or mat-like.

There are a great many species and they grow in a variety of forms. Sponges are entirely immobile all known species live affixed to some type of surface. However, they do have specialized cells that play specialized roles within the sponge.

They can almost better be described as a colony of single celled animals. They lack all internal organs, including sensory organs and do not have any kind of neural system. They are the most primitive of the multicellular animals. Sponges are probably the least animal-like of all animals.

Can sea sponges move