Nutrition
Overview:
The vast majority of sponges are heterotrophic filter
feeders, meaning that they obtain their food by filtering water
into a cavity of their body and extracting any organism that
they can use for nutrition. Sponges, Cryptotethya crypta,
included used their specialized cells to carry out this filter,
or suspension, feeding.
Mechanism:
In order for the sponge to carry out suspension feeding it n
eeds
to use its specialized cell types in unison. It all begins with
the choanocytes (or collar cells) using their beating flagella
to create an inward current of water from outside the organism
inward through the porocytes, or ostium, to the inner atrium, or
spongocoel. From there after, very small organisms and other
nutritions material that was carried in is either taken up by
archeocytes, or choanocytes who in turn transfer it to the
archeocytes for digestion (as a side note, it has been observed
that choanocytes and spicules have also contributed to the
digestion of the filtered material). Since sponges do not
possess any muscles, nervous systems, or circulatory systems,
they rely on their archeocytes to transport the nutrients
throughout their body. The filtered water is then released
through the top of the sponge, or osculum.
Diet:
Sponges are primarily limited to feeding on small particles that
can fit through its specialized porocytes. Anything that flows
in, including both organic and inorganic material is free game
for the choanocyte and archeocyte absorption and digestion. For
the most part, with the size restrictions, sponges feed on small
microorganisms including, but not limited to, algae and
bacteria. However, there are some carnivorous sponges that use
their spicules to capture small crustaceans to eat.
Return Back to Top
Continue Onward to Reproduction...