Question

What are pore-bearing animals?

Answer 1

Pore-bearing Animals:

1. Pore-bearing animals are multicellular organisms that belong to the phylum Porifera, and sponges form an important member of this phylum.
2. The phylum consists of mainly marine water sponges such as Euspongia, Scypha, etc., and some freshwater sponges such as Spongilla.

The characteristics of pore-bearing animals are as follows:

1. They are cylindrical and are either asymmetrical or have radial symmetry.
2. They are sessile and attach themselves to a substrate.
3. The body of a sponge is covered with pores called Ostia and has a large opening in the upper end called the osculum.
4. The cells of the body wall are totipotent and change into any cell type depending on the function to be performed.
5. Sponges lack a mouth for feeding.
6. They consume food by a process called filter feeding.
7. The water current passing through the Ostia brings food such as plankton, and the cells of the body wall ingest the food by phagocytosis.
8. The water current removes the waste from the body.
9. The water current is responsible for respiration by diffusion.
10. Asexual reproduction occurs by fragmentation or budding, and sexual reproduction occurs by gamete formation.
11. They can regenerate from tiny fragments of the adult body.