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All freshwater and most shallow-water marine sponges have leuconid bodies. The networks of water passages in glass sponges are similar to the leuconid structure. [18] In all three types of structure, the cross-section area of the choanocyte-lined regions is much greater than that of the intake and outlet channels.
The sponges are inserted into the vagina in much the same way a tampon is, but when full are removed, cleaned, and reused, rather than discarded. The advantages of a reusable tampon alternative include cost-effectiveness and waste reduction. (Since sponges are biodegradable, even when a menstrual sponge's absorbent life is over it can be ...
The algae help facilitate oxygen and food uptake for the sponge, while the sponge provides the algae a surface to live on. The gemmules of Spongilla lacustris inside the original parent sponge. The texture of the sponge itself is soft. The ostia (dermal pores) let water into the sponge to be filtered. The oscula is the hole from which water exits.
The surface of the fruit body has deep ridges and folds somewhat resembling a brain. It is sponge-like and rubbery—if water is squeezed out, it will resume its original shape. The surface has irregular, relatively large cavities , lined with fertile (spore-producing) tissue. The locules are between 2 and 10 mm (0.1 and 0.4 in) in diameter.
Flow tank experiments suggest that archaeocyathan morphology allowed them to exploit flow gradients, either by passively pumping water through the skeleton, or, as in present-day, extant sponges, by drawing water through the pores, removing nutrients, and expelling spent water and wastes through the pores into the central space. [citation needed]
All three sponge body plans (asconoid, syconoid, and leuconoid) can be found within the class Calcarea. Typically, calcareous sponges are small, measuring less than 10 cm (3.9 in) in height, and drab in colour. However, a few brightly coloured species are also known. Like the Homoscleromorpha, calcareous sponges are exclusively viviparous. [7]
These cells have a dual function: ingesting food particles, and maintaining the flow of water through the sponge's body. Between the two layers a more or less gelatinous substance called mesohyl. Sclerocyte cells are responsible for secreting a kind of skeleton for supporting the sponge's body, formed of spongin fibers.
These sponges are massive or encrusting in form and have a very simple structure with very little variation in spicule form (all spicules tend to be very small). Reproduction is viviparous and the larva is an oval form known as an amphiblastula. This form is usual in calcareous sponges but is less common in other sponges.