''Callyspongia'' (''Cladochalina'') ''aculeata'', commonly known as the branching vase sponge is a species of

sea sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and are o ...

in the family

Callyspongiidae Callyspongiidae is a family of sea sponges in the order Haplosclerida. It contains the following genera and species: * ''Arenosclera'' Pulitzer-Finali, 1982 ** ''Arenosclera amazonensis'' Leal, Moraes, Thompson & Hajdu, 2017 ** ''Arenosclera ara ...

. Poriferans are typically characterized by ostia, pores that filter out plankton, with an osculum as the opening which water leaves through, and choanocytes trap food particles. This species is frequently colonized by '' Umimayanthus parasiticus'', a colonial anemone, and ''

Ophiothrix suensonii ''Ophiothrix'' is a large genus of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) found in oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic and Antarctic regions. At present a total of 93 Ophiothrix species have been recognized. It is considered as one of the most interesti ...

'', a brittle star. It feeds on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

and

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

. The color of ''C. aculeata'' is variable, ranging from red to orange, lavender to brownish-gray, greenish-gray, and sometimes light tan.

Defining Traits

''Callyspongia aculeata'' usually has a tubular growth pattern, although the magnitude of the current affects its growth form. The dominant morphotypes are tubular elongated and tubular vaciform. The long, erect tubes taper slightly and have a wide vent up to 2.5 cm in diameter with a thin wall. The sponge has very elastic tubes that vary in length and can stand singly or with other tubes. The sponge is rough with its irregular pits and nubs covering its surface. The species is found on hard surfaces, usually reef plateaus and deep reef slopes.

Distribution

''Callyspongia aculeata'' lives in the area of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, and

the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

. It grows at a temperature of 20°-24 °C.

Ecological Role

''Callyspongia aculeata'' plays host to many other invertebrate species including ''Ophiothrix lineata'' and various

amphipods Amphipoda () is an order (biology), order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphip ...

including ''Leucothoe kensleyi'' and ''Leucothoe ashleyae''.

Morphology

Through

anastomosis An anastomosis (, : anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal (su ...

, the sponge can become linked. Porifera are suspension feeders, meaning they can filter plankton and other microorganisms through its osculum. Porifera contain

choanocyte Choanocytes (also known as "collar cells") are cells that line the interior of asconoid, syconoid and leuconoid body types of sponges that contain a central flagellum, or ''cilium,'' surrounded by a collar of microvilli which are connected by ...

pinacocyte Pinacocytes are flat cells found on the outside of sponges, as well as the internal canals of a sponge. Pinacocytes are not specific to the sponge however. It was discovered that pinacocytes do not have as many sponge specific genes. These genes su ...

s, and archeocytes. The structure of the choanocyte being a singular flagellum surrounded by microvilli is a characteristic of most porifera which allows water to enter. This canal system, however, differs within Demospongia because the choanocyte chambers differ. Among the class ''

Demospongiae Demosponges or common sponges are sponges of the class Demospongiae (from + ), the most diverse group in the phylum Porifera which include greater than 90% of all extant sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (according to the World P ...

'', skeletons are formed mainly of spongin. Spongin is the main component that makes up the sponge skeleton. While sponges lack defined organ systems, the tissue is composed of pinacocytes and choanocytes, two types of cells on the sponge surface. In terms of structure, large branching erect sponges are prone to toppling during storms, while smaller sponges remained higher in biomass after storm events. In hurricanes, surviving sponges were found to have different silica in their fiber skeletons. Sponges with a larger openings and smaller bases are less prone to breakage and live easier in shallower water than sponges with thin, narrow branches. Sponges are hermaphroditic, and members of demospongiae can develop sexually produced larvae or from asexual fragments. Asexual fragmentation happens when one species divides into smaller segments and sponges may be more successful at asexually reproducing, because they don't need sexually generated larvae. Additionally, they can spread through larger areas faster so their dispersion rate is increased. Considering environmental circumstances, sponges are able to undergo fragmentation as a survival strategy in disturbed states. Although ''Callyspongia aculeata'' has not been studied in depth, ''Callyspongia diffusa'' in the genus was found to have a spicular skeleton encased in spongin.

Feeding

As with most sponges, ''Callyspongia aculeata'' is a filter feeder, consuming microorganisms such as phytoplankton.

References

External links

Friday Fellow: Branching Vase Sponge
at Earthling Nature. {{Taxonbar, from1=Q2302266, from2=Q929834 Callyspongiidae Fauna of the Southeastern United States Sponges described in 1814