Phylum Porifera (Sponges)

Porifera means organisms with holes. They compromise the simplest organisms and are commonly known as sponges.

Characteristics of Phylum Porifera:

Below are some of the important characteristics of phylum Porifera;

1. They are aquatic organisms. Most of them live in marine habitats.

2. They are pore-bearing multicellular organisms with few tissues and no organs.

3. Cells and tissues are surrounded by a water-filled space. They lack a true body cavity. (Acoelomater)

4. All are sessile i.e. they live attached to rocks or shells as an adult.

5. They reproduce sexually (They are hermaphroditesA hermaphrodite is a sexually reproducing animal or flower that has both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphroditic animals are mostly invertebrates such as worms, trematodes (flukes), snails, moss animals, slugs... More i.e. both male and female sex cells are present in an individual) or asexually (by budding and fragmentation).’