A Day In the Life of a Sponge

Every day you have things that you need to do, right? We humans usually need to eat, drink, and other things. However, we need to do other things such as chores. Well, sponges need to stay alive by doing certain things. If they want to be successful, they also have to do several different processes.

Okay, so let's start from the beginning. How do you get the energy for the things that you do? You eat. Sponges eat, too. As you probably know, your brain helps you to do everything you do. But sponges don't have a brain. So, they have special cells that each know what they have to do. When all the special cells come together, you get a sponge. And sponges need to eat.

First, all the food is on the outside. The ocean is full of thousands of tiny little living things that you can barely see with your eyes. All of these tiny animals and plants are known as microorganisms or plankton. Sponges have plenty of food; they just need to filter it in from the ocean.

On the outside layer of the skin, the cells cause the water to come in. Basically, the muscle cells contract so that there is a special pressure above the cells. This pressure causes the water to come in. The water, with all of the food for the sponge, flows into the canals. The canals are lined with little collared cells that have whips. They absorb the food. But what about the cells that don't have the special whips, known as flagella? Special cells, known as archaeocytes, transport the food throughout the body. Sclerocytes are other special cells, found in the tissues, that can make the spicules. And we know that spicules are important to create a skeleton for the sponge and protect it from bigger, smarter animals.

Sponges also need to breathe. Like all living things, they need oxygen to breathe. Well, the ocean water has this, too. As the water flows through the inner tissues, known as the mesohyl, it absorbs oxygen.

Also, sponges need to move and grow. To create new cells, the sponge can create buds or branches that gradually grow. Throughout the day, sponges can change shape. Basically, they just move their tissues around to take in more oxygen.

And, of course, the sponge has to remove its wastes. It simply shoots everything out of its osculum and ostia as water flows out of its body. Then, the process can begin all over again