Cara Fiore

Cara Fiore

Feb 03, 2015

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How do sponges pump so much water?

Sponges have an incredible ability to pump large amounts of water through their bodies – some sponges can pump up to 50,000 times their own volume in a day. That would be like an average sized person drinking 900,000 gallons of water in a day! Sponges do this in order to obtain food. They feed on particles and dissolved nutrients in the water. Because sponges filter such large volumes of water, this can have a big influence on water quality in shallow coastal areas. But how do sponges, relatively simple organisms, pump that much water through their bodies?

The answer is they use millions of small flagellated cells called choanocytes. These choanocytes have a collar around them and are also called collared cells. When the flagella beat, water movement is generated and the collar traps small particles for food. The cell digests the particles or the particles can be transferred to other cells in the sponge's body.

To find out more about our project on how sponges can change the water chemistry on coral reefs click here

Relevant links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyUFG_F3090

http://www.oceanicresearch.org/education/wonders/sponges.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ueKlShb9Ls

If you have questions please feel free to ask in the comments section below!

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About This Project

Sponges are nature's filtration systems; they can filter up to 50,000 times their own volume in a day. Changes to coral ecosystems from climate change make reef sponges increasingly important. This project takes one of the first steps to explore the impact of sponges on nutrient availability on coral reefs.

Contributions are tax deductible, and backers will get timely labnote field updates. We invite you to ask questions and connect with us directly in the comments - we'd love to hear from you!

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