what is the force that moves water through the sponge

The sponge body is made of holes and channels through which water is pumped and filtered to obtain particles of food. Larger sponges can also serve as homes for other animals like fishes, turtles, and shrimps ( Figure 1G).

They can be huge and round, or make thin crusts on rocks, or even look like vases or cups ( Figures 1A–F).

Sponges have many different sizes and shapes. If you put a sponge in a blender, the cells can recognize each other afterwards and reform into tiny sponges! Sponges are the only animals that can rebuild themselves if they are torn apart! Still, they are multicellular animals, which means that they are made up of many cells that work together, like in the human body. Unlike humans, sponges do not have stomachs, organs, backbones, or blood. Notice the many unique shapes of the spicules. (H) Spicules are microscopic structures, made of silica (glass) or calcium carbonate (similar to limestone), that make up a sponge’s body.

(G) The Venus’ flower basket sponge provides a home for tiny shrimps.

Figure 1 - (A–F) Examples of various-shaped sponges and their common names.

Adult sponges do not move around-they are fixed to the bottom of the seafloor, on rocks, or on other sandy or hard underwater surfaces ( Figure 1). Sponges live in waters all around the world, from the deep seas of the Arctic and Antarctic to the shallow and warm tropical seas, as well as in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes. Have you ever looked closely at a living sponge? Although they may look more like plants or fungi, sponges are actually animals. Sponge species with different body and skeleton shapes and sizes can thrive in very different and unique environments. Most sponges filter water to get their food, but certain sponges are carnivorous, meaning that they eat meat, including tiny shrimp-like creatures. Other sponges have evolved unique ways to eat. For example, many sponges are rock-hard! These rock sponges use minerals like silica (glass) to build their skeletons-instead of bone like ours. Over time, sponges have evolved into many sizes and shapes, giving us the huge diversity of sponge species on Earth today.

There are close to 10,000 sponge species described by scientists, but far more species await discovery! However, not all sponges look and feel like their kitchen-sink cousins. Sponges are animals that live in oceans, lakes, and rivers.

What is the force that moves water through the sponge