Demospongiae
Barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae Sollas, 1885
Subclasses
Homoscleromorpha Tetractinomorpha Ceractinomorpha See text for orders.

The Demospongiae are the largest class in the phylum Porifera. Their "skeletons" are made of spicules consisting of fibers of the protein spongin, the mineral silica, or both. They contain 90% of all species of sponges and are predominantly leuconoid structural grade.

There are many diverse orders in this class, including all of the large sponges. Most are marine dwellers, but several live in freshwater environments. Some species are brightly colored, and there is great variety in body shape. They reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Contents 1 Classification 2 Demosponge Systematics 3 Economic Importance 4 Notes 5 References

[edit] Classification

The Demospongia have an ancient history with the first demosponge fossils appearing in Precambrian deposits. A major radiation occurred in the Lower Cambrian.

The extant Demospongiae have been organised into 14 orders that encompass 88 families, 500 genera and more than 8000 described species.

Hooper and van Soest give the following classification of demosponges into orders:^[1]

• Subclass Homoscleromorpha Bergquist 1978
  • Homosclerophorida Dendy 1905
• Subclass Tetractinomorpha
  • Astrophorida Sollas 1888
  • Chondrosida Boury-Esnault & Lopès 1985
  • Hadromerida Topsent 1894
  • Lithistida Sollas 1888
  • Spirophorida Bergquist & Hogg 1969
• Subclass Ceractinomorpha Levi 1953
  • Agelasida Verrill 1907
  • Dendroceratida Minchin 1900
  • Dictyoceratida Minchin 1900
  • Halichondrida Gray 1867
  • Halisarcida Bergquist 1996
  • Haplosclerida Topsent 1928
  • Poecilosclerida Topsent 1928
  • Verongida Bergquist 1978
  • Verticillitida Termier & Termier 1977

However, molecular evidence suggests that the Homoscleromorpha may not belong in this class and that other classifications may need to be revised.^[2]

A molecular study of the mitochondrial genome suggests that five major clades exist in the Demospongiae.^[1] These clades are

• Homoscleromorpha: order Homosclerophorida

• Keratosa: orders Dendroceratida, Dictyoceratida and Verticillitida

• Myxospongiae: orders Chondrosida, Halisarcida and Verongida

• Haplosclerida (marine species)

• Remainder of the demosponges: orders Agelasida, Astrophorida, Hadromerida, Halichondrida, Poecilosclerida, Spirophorida and Haploscerida (freshwater species)

The branching order appears to be ( Homoscleromorpha, ( Keratosa, Myxospongiae )( Haplosclerida [marine species], Remainder of the demosponges) )

spermatocytes develop from the transformation of choanocytes and oocytes arise from archeocytes. Repeated cleavage of the zygote egg takes place in the mesohyl and forms a parenchymula larva with a mass of larger internal cells surrounded by small, externally flagellated cells. The resulting swimming larva enters a canal of the central cavity and is expelled with the exhalant current.

Methods of asexual reproduction include both budding and the formation of gemmules. In budding, aggregates of cells differentiate into small sponges that are released superficially or expelled through the oscula. Gemmules are found in the freshwater family Spongellidae. They are produced in the mesohyl as clumps of archeocytes, are surrounded with a hard layer secreted by other amoebocytes. Gemmules are released when the parent body breaks down, and are capable of surviving harsh conditions. In a favorable situation, an opening called the micropyle appears and releases amoebocytes, which differentiate into cells of all the other types.

[edit] Demosponge Systematics

Demosponge systematics is an active area of research, and much is still to be learned. However, some rudimentary outlines can be made. The basal clade of the Demospongia is the Homoscleromorpha, characterized by the possession of a larva more reminiscent of that of the Calcarea than that of the rest of the Demospongia. Demosponges other than the Homoscleromorpha are split into two major groups, the Tetractinomorpha and the Ceractinomorpha. These two groups share characters that indicate common descent such as a distinctive larval type and the presence of spongin. Currently, the two groups are each characterized by distinctive types of microscleres, though some doubt still remains as to whether the distinctive microsclere types evolved only once in each group. Fossils of each of these groups is known from the Cambrian suggesting an early radiation of the major clades of demosponges. The Lithistida, a taxonomic grouping into which many of the fossil demosponges fall, is most certainly polyphyletic with members in both the Tetractinomorpha and the Ceractinomorpha.

[edit] Economic Importance

The most economically important group of demospongians to human are the bath sponges. These are harvested by divers and can also be grown commercially. They are bleached and marketed; the spongin gives the sponge its softness and absorbency.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

1. ^  J. N. A. Hooper and R. W. M. van Soest (2002). "Class Demospongiae Sollas, 1885". Systema Porifera. A guide to the classification of sponges. New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. 
2. ^  C. Borchiellini, C. Chombard, M. Manuel, E. Alivon, J. Vacelet, and N. Boury-Esnault (2004). "Molecular phylogeny of Demospongiae: implications for classification and scenarios of character evolution". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 32 (3): 823–37. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.02.021. 

• Barnes, R.S.K. et al. (2001). The Invertebrates: A Synthesis. Oxford: Blackwell Science. ISBN 0-632-04761-5
• Bergquist, P. R. Sponges. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1978.
• Hickman, C. P. Pages 86–103 in Biology of the Invertebrates. Saint Louis, MO: C.V. Mosely Publishing.
• Kozloff, E. N. Pages 74–91 in Invertebrates. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders College Publishing; 1990.
• Kelly-Borges, M. and S. A. Pomponi. 1994. Phylogeny and classification of lithistid sponges (Porifera: Demospongiae): a preliminary assessment using ribosomal DNA sequence comparisons. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotechnology, 3(2): 87–103.
• Reitner, J. and D. Mehl. 1996. Monophyly of the Porifera. Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg. 36: 5–32.

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