A short biological note on leuconoid sponges
MICHEAL OKPARA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, UMUDIKE.
COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY
AN ASSIGNMENT PAPER WRITTEN IN FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT OF THE COURSE ZEB 211
[LOWER INVERTEBRATES]
TOPIC:
A SHORT BIOLOGICAL NOTE ON LEUCONOID SPONGES
WRITTEN BY
MBA UCHECHUKWU EMEA EBI
MOUAU/13/27603
FEBRUARY, 2015.
A Short Biological Note on Leuconoid Sponges
Sponges come under the phylum porifera and they are believed to be amongst the most unusual animals. Because of their lifestyle and appearance, they were originally thought to be plants especially since some are green due to commensal algae.
Sponges are as well the most primitive metazoans and have neither true tissues nor organs.
There are three basic architectural types of sponges, they include the asconoid, syconoid, and the leuconoid sponges [our major specialty].
Leuconoid sponges: This is the highest level of complexity in sponges. The leuconoids have a lost radial symmetry and are very irregular in shape and may attain large sizes.
They arise from syconoid sponges in which the invaginated [turned inside out] canals are even further invaginated and folded to form small flagellated chambers. Further increase in surface areas makes these sponges highly efficient in moving and filtering water.
Leuconoids are referred to as the largest, most complex and most numerous sponges because they have eliminated the spongocoel so that all the water entering the sponge is moved through small canals all lined with flagella, which is the most hydro-logically efficient method.
Structure of leuconoids sponges: a leuconoid sponge has a thick body wall and an irregularly shaped body. Its ostia opens into incurrent canals that draw water into the sponge’s body. These incurrent canals open into chambers that are lined with choanocytes. Water flows from these chambers into excurrent canals that empty into a relatively small
COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY
AN ASSIGNMENT PAPER WRITTEN IN FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENT OF THE COURSE ZEB 211
[LOWER INVERTEBRATES]
TOPIC:
A SHORT BIOLOGICAL NOTE ON LEUCONOID SPONGES
WRITTEN BY
MBA UCHECHUKWU EMEA EBI
MOUAU/13/27603
FEBRUARY, 2015.
A Short Biological Note on Leuconoid Sponges
Sponges come under the phylum porifera and they are believed to be amongst the most unusual animals. Because of their lifestyle and appearance, they were originally thought to be plants especially since some are green due to commensal algae.
Sponges are as well the most primitive metazoans and have neither true tissues nor organs.
There are three basic architectural types of sponges, they include the asconoid, syconoid, and the leuconoid sponges [our major specialty].
Leuconoid sponges: This is the highest level of complexity in sponges. The leuconoids have a lost radial symmetry and are very irregular in shape and may attain large sizes.
They arise from syconoid sponges in which the invaginated [turned inside out] canals are even further invaginated and folded to form small flagellated chambers. Further increase in surface areas makes these sponges highly efficient in moving and filtering water.
Leuconoids are referred to as the largest, most complex and most numerous sponges because they have eliminated the spongocoel so that all the water entering the sponge is moved through small canals all lined with flagella, which is the most hydro-logically efficient method.
Structure of leuconoids sponges: a leuconoid sponge has a thick body wall and an irregularly shaped body. Its ostia opens into incurrent canals that draw water into the sponge’s body. These incurrent canals open into chambers that are lined with choanocytes. Water flows from these chambers into excurrent canals that empty into a relatively small