HECATE STRAIT 2017
by Evgeni MatveevSo, what is a sponge anyway? Is it a plant? Is it a coral? These are common questions I get asked by my non-biologist friends. In fact, sponges are animals in the phylum Porifera. Corals (also animals) are in the phylum Cnidaria along with jellyfish and anemones. Sponges are superficially quite simple and thought to be one of the first multicellular organisms to have evolved. But, as with most things, there is complexity within their perceived simplicity.
Sponges are interesting to research from many different angles. Evolutionarily, they represent a very important transformation from a (presumably) colonial unicellular animal to a single multicellular animal. Ecologically, they provide structure for other animals to live in and around, and change the water composition around them by filtering out bacteria and excreting nitrogen and poop. Additionally, sponges are one of the most used marine organisms for finding natural sources of metabolites that can be used in medicine.
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AboutThe Leys lab has been exploring the sponge reefs off the coast of British Columbia. Using the Remotely Operated Vehicle ROPOS our team has been studying the ecology, physiology and behaviour of sponges in the newest Marine Protected Area in Canada. ArchivesCategories |