Dr Blue Thumb
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- Aug 23, 2015
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Hi, My name is Clint Johnson, and I am going for an english assessment in a few weeks. I would like some practice writing paragraphs about what interests me, if you would kindly help me learn, while at the same time practice my writing, I would appreciate it.
Here's what I got so far:
Sponges have evolved for over 600 million years, and are in fact, the oldest known multi-cellular organism on the planet. The scientific name is “porifera", meaning “pore bearer". Over 15,000 species of sponges are found in the saline water of the oceans, coral reefs, mangrove estuaries and seagrass ecosystems, while only 150 inhabit fresh water lakes. Their habitat ranges from the warm, shallow water of the tropics to the frigid, cold Artic.
Being invertebrates, sponges vary in size from a few millimeters, to over 2 meters. They come in a wide array of colours, from bright: yellow, orange, pink, blue, purple, green, and red, while others are a dull grey, while, black or brown. Different species of sponges form different shapes, including; tree-like, fans, barrels, cones, tubes, cups, blobs and crusts, Their texture can be rough, smooth or like spun glass.
Most sponges are heterotrophic, specifically omnivore, feeding on both plant and animal organic substances. They feed mostly on suspended drifting microscopic and dissolved organic particles such as: phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria and dinoflagellates. Some deep sea sponges are even carnivorous, preying on small crustaceans and fish. Shallow water species are known to be partially autotrophic, harnessing a percentage of their nutritional requirements from the sun. They do this by hosting a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with a microscopic unicellular algae called zooxanthelae, most commonly found in corals. Although, they have this unique ability, they still rely heavily on being heterothrophic. So technically, these specific sponges are known as being, (mixothrophic or bitrophic).
Here's what I got so far:
Sponges have evolved for over 600 million years, and are in fact, the oldest known multi-cellular organism on the planet. The scientific name is “porifera", meaning “pore bearer". Over 15,000 species of sponges are found in the saline water of the oceans, coral reefs, mangrove estuaries and seagrass ecosystems, while only 150 inhabit fresh water lakes. Their habitat ranges from the warm, shallow water of the tropics to the frigid, cold Artic.
Being invertebrates, sponges vary in size from a few millimeters, to over 2 meters. They come in a wide array of colours, from bright: yellow, orange, pink, blue, purple, green, and red, while others are a dull grey, while, black or brown. Different species of sponges form different shapes, including; tree-like, fans, barrels, cones, tubes, cups, blobs and crusts, Their texture can be rough, smooth or like spun glass.
Most sponges are heterotrophic, specifically omnivore, feeding on both plant and animal organic substances. They feed mostly on suspended drifting microscopic and dissolved organic particles such as: phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria and dinoflagellates. Some deep sea sponges are even carnivorous, preying on small crustaceans and fish. Shallow water species are known to be partially autotrophic, harnessing a percentage of their nutritional requirements from the sun. They do this by hosting a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with a microscopic unicellular algae called zooxanthelae, most commonly found in corals. Although, they have this unique ability, they still rely heavily on being heterothrophic. So technically, these specific sponges are known as being, (mixothrophic or bitrophic).
