![]() Each pore is lined with a type of cell known as a porocyte (where ‘-cyte’ means ‘cell’) & leads in to the sponge’s inner cavity (the ‘spongocoel’. The simplest sponge body is rather like a hollow tube with perforated walls: the perforations, or pores, are what gives the phylum its Latin name, Porifera (literally, ‘pore-bearer’). You would not want to use a spicule-sponge in the bath, unless you were intending some serious exfoliating. ![]() Instead, what you get is an organism formed from just a few types of loosely-organised cells, all sitting (& moving) on & within a ‘skeleton’ made either of a protein (aptly enough, called ‘spongin’) or of spicules, which are something like fibreglass. I rather like them: no real tissue development, no organs, immobile, & a growth habit that looks distinctly plant-like. Sponges are strange organisms – classified as animals, they definitely look the odd one out.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |