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sponges

pink_tube_sponge.jpg The Porifera, sponges, are sessile benthic invertebrates that represent one of the oldest, possibly even the oldest metazoan lineage. Sponges comprise approximately 8,500 described species divided among 4 extant classes: Calcarea, Homoscleromorpha, Hexactinellida, and Demospongiae, with the Demospongiae being the most diverse group. Sponges maintain numerous roles in the marine ecosystem such as nutrient cycling, habitat forming, and symbiosis with several different organisms.

sponges.txt · Last modified: 2019/10/13 15:15 by floyd