Sea Sponges Facts

Sea Sponges Facts When you look at a sponge, the word animal  might not be the first that comes to mind, but sea sponges are animals. There are over 6,000 species of sponges; most live in the marine environment, although there are also freshwater sponges. Natural sponges have been used by humans to clean and bathe with for at least 3,000 years. Sponges are classified in the phylum Porifera. The word Porifera  comes from the Latin words porus (pore) and ferre (bear), meaning pore-bearer. This is a reference to the numerous pores or holes on a sponges surface. It is through these pores that the sponge draws in water from which it feeds. Fast Facts: Sponges Scientific Name: PoriferaCommon Name: SpongeBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: Various species range from under a half inch to 11 feet in lengthWeight: Up to approximately 20 poundsLifespan: Up to 2,300 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat: Oceans and freshwater lakes the world overPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: One species is classified Least Concern; most are Not Evaluated. Description Sponges come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some, like the liver sponge, look like a low-lying crust on a rock, while others can be taller than humans. Some sponges are in the form of encrustations or masses, some are branched, and some look like tall vases. Sponges are relatively simple multi-celled animals. They do not have tissues or organs like some animals do; rather, they have specialized cells to perform necessary functions. These cells each have a job. Some are in charge of digestion, some reproduction, some bringing in water so the sponge can filter feed, and some are used for getting rid of wastes. The skeleton of a sponge is formed from spicules which are made of silica (a glass-like material) or calcareous (calcium or calcium carbonate) materials, and spongin, a protein that supports the spicules. Sponge species may be most readily identified by examining their spicules under a microscope. Sponges do not have a nervous system, so they dont move when touched.   Placebo365/Getty Images   Species There are an enormous number of species in the phylum Porifera, broken into five classes: Calcarea (Calcareous sponges)Demospongiae (Horny sponges)Hexactinellida (Glass sponges)Homoscleromorpha (Includes about 100 species of encrusting sponges)Porifera incertae sedis (Sponges whose classification has not yet been defined) There are over 6,000 formally described sponge species, measuring from under a half inch to 11 feet. The largest sponge discovered to date was found in Hawaii in 2015, and has not yet been named. Habitat and Distribution Sponges are found on the ocean floor or attached to substrates such as rocks, coral, shells, and marine organisms. Sponges range in habitat from shallow intertidal areas and coral reefs to the deep sea. They are found in oceans and freshwater lakes throughout the world. Diet and Behavior Most sponges feed on bacteria and organic matter by drawing water in through pores called ostia (singular: ostium), which are openings through which water enters the body. Lining the channels in these pores are collar cells. The collars of these cells surround a hair-like structure called a flagellum. The flagella beat to create water currents. Most sponges also feed on small organisms that come in with the water. There are also a few species of carnivorous sponges that feed by using their spicules to capture prey such as small crustaceans. Water and wastes are circulated out of the body by pores called oscula (singular: osculum). Reproduction and Offspring Sponges reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction occurs through the production of egg and sperm. In some species, these gametes are from the same individual; in others, separate individuals produce eggs and sperm. Fertilization occurs when the gametes are brought into the sponge by currents of water. A larva is formed, and it settles on a substrate where it becomes attached to the rest of its life. Asexual reproduction occurs by budding, which happens when a part of a sponge is broken off, or one of its branch tips is constricted, and then this small piece grows into a new sponge. They may also reproduce asexually by producing packets of cells called gemmules. Threats In general, sponges arent very tasty to most other marine animals. They can contain toxins, and their spicule structure probably doesnt make them very comfortable to digest. Two organisms that eat sponges though are hawksbill sea turtles and nudibranchs. Some nudibranchs will even absorb a sponges toxin while it eats it and then uses the toxin in its own defense. Most of the sponges have been evaluated by the IUCN, as Least Concern. RainervonBrandis/Getty Images Sponges and Humans The modern plastic sponge in our kitchens and bathrooms are named after natural sponges, living animals which were harvested and widely used as long ago as the 8th century BCE as implements for bathing and cleaning, as well as in medical practices such as assisting in healing and to cool or warm or comfort a body part. Ancient Greek writers such as Aristotle (384–332 BCE) suggested the best sponge for such tasks was one that is compressible and squeezable but not sticky, and holds great quantities of water in its canals and expels it out when compressed.   You can still buy natural sponges in health food stores or on the Internet. Artificial sponges were not invented until the 1940s, and long before that, commercial sponge harvesting industries developed in many areas, including Tarpon Springs and Key West, Florida. Sources Brusca Richard C. and Gary J. Brusca. Phylum Porifera: the sponges. Invertebrates. Cambridge, MA: Sinauer Press, 2003. 181–210.Castro, Fernando, et al. Agalychnis The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T55843A11379402, 2004.  Ã‚  Coulombe, Deborah A. The Seaside Naturalist. New York: Simon Schuster, 1984.Denoble, Peter. The Story of Sponge Divers. Alert Diver Online, 2011.Hendrikse, Sandra and Andrà ©Ã‚  Merks, A. Sponge Fishing in Key West and Tarpon Springs, American Sponge Diver, 2003Martinez, Andrew J. Marine Life of the North Atlantic. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc., 2003.UCMP. Porifera: Life History and Ecology. University of California Museum of Paleontology.Wagner, Daniel, and Christopher D. Kelley. The Largest Sponge in the World? Marine Biodiversity 47.2 (2017): 367–68.  Voultsiadou, Eleni. Sponges: An Historical Survey of Their Knowledge in Greek Antiquity. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87.6 (2007): 1757 –63. Print.

The Complete List of NCAA Division 3 Colleges (Updated)

The Complete List of NCAA Division 3 Colleges (Updated) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The NCAA- the major governing body for intercollegiate sports- separates its member institutions by divisions. Division III colleges are generally the smallest and have the fewest resources for their athletic teams; however, Division IIIis the biggest division in terms of number of schools and student-athletes. Many Division III schools take pride in their sports teams, and athletes comprise a significant percentage of the student population. In this article, I’ll give you a basic understanding of Division III as well as a complete list of current Division III schools, organized by state. Why Are There NCAA Divisions? The NCAA made divisions to create competitive balance and a level playing field. The existence of divisions is meant to enable schools to compete against other schools of a similar size and with similar resources. What Makes Division III Unique? In Division III, there are no athletic scholarships.Sports teams have shorter practice times and playing seasons than they do in Divisions I and II. Additionally, in Division III, the focus is more on the participant than it is on generating revenue or creating events for spectators. Here are some fun facts to know about Division III: There are more than 194,000 athletes in Division III 80% of Division III schools are private Each Division III school sponsors an average of 18 sports Complete List of NCAA Division III Colleges Below, we give you the complete list of NCAA Division III colleges for the 2018-19 school year. At present, there are more than 440 schools in Division III. But how can you use this list? If there's a particular college you're considering applying to, you can look at this list to determine whether that school is a Division III institution or not. You can alsocheck to see which colleges are Division III in a certain sport you're interested in.Note that some Division III schools might compete in Division I for one or two sports. Alabama Birmingham-Southern College Huntingdon College Arkansas Hendrix College University of the Ozarks (Arkansas) California California Institute of Technology (Caltech) California Lutheran University Chapman University Claremont McKenna–Harvey Mudd–Scripps Colleges Mills College Occidental College Pomona–Pitzer Colleges University of California, Santa Cruz University of La Verne University of Redlands Whittier College Colorado Colorado College Connecticut Albertus Magnus College Connecticut College Eastern Connecticut State University Mitchell College Trinity College (Connecticut) U.S. Coast Guard Academy University of St. Joseph (Connecticut) Wesleyan University (Connecticut) Western Connecticut State University District of Columbia Catholic University Gallaudet University Trinity Washington University Delaware Wesley College Georgia Agnes Scott College Berry College Covenant College Emory University LaGrange College Oglethorpe University Piedmont College Wesleyan College (Georgia) Iowa Buena Vista University Central College (Iowa) Coe College Cornell College Grinnell College Iowa Wesleyan University Loras College Luther College Simpson College University of Dubuque Wartburg College Illinois Augustana College (Illinois) Aurora University Benedictine University (Illinois) Blackburn College Concordia University Chicago Dominican University (Illinois) Elmhurst College Eureka College Greenville University Illinois College Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Wesleyan University Knox College Lake Forest College MacMurray College Millikin University Monmouth College (Illinois) North Central College North Park University Principia College Rockford University University of Chicago Wheaton College (Illinois) Indiana Anderson University (Indiana) DePauw University Earlham College Franklin College Hanover College Manchester University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Mary's College (Indiana) Trine University Wabash College Kentucky Berea College Centre College Spalding University Thomas More College Transylvania University Louisiana Centenary College (Louisiana) Louisiana College Massachusetts Amherst College Anna Maria College Babson College Bay Path University Becker College Brandeis University Bridgewater State University Clark University (Massachusetts) Curry College Dean College Eastern Nazarene College Elms College Emerson College Emmanuel College (Massachusetts) Endicott College Fitchburg State University Framingham State University Gordon College Lasell College Lesley University Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Massachusetts Maritime Academy Mount Holyoke College Newbury College Nichols College Pine Manor College Regis College (Massachusetts) Salem State University Simmons University Smith College Springfield College Suffolk University Tufts University University of Massachusetts Boston University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Wellesley College Wentworth Institute of Technology Western New England University Westfield State University Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester State University Maryland Frostburg State University Goucher College Hood College Johns Hopkins University McDaniel College Notre Dame of Maryland University Salisbury University St. Mary's College of Maryland Stevenson University Washington College (Maryland) Maine Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College Husson University Maine Maritime Academy Saint Joseph's College (Maine) Thomas College University of Maine at Presque Isle University of Maine, Farmington University of New England University of Southern Maine Michigan Adrian College Albion College Alma College Calvin College Finlandia University Hope College Kalamazoo College Olivet College Minnesota Augsburg University Bethany Lutheran College Bethel University (Minnesota) Carleton College College of Saint Benedict Concordia College, Moorhead Crown College (Minnesota) Gustavus Adolphus College Hamline University Macalester College Martin Luther College North Central University Saint John's University (Minnesota) Saint Mary's University of Minnesota St. Catherine University St. Olaf College The College of St. Scholastica University of Minnesota, Morris University of Northwestern–St. Paul University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Missouri Fontbonne University Washington University in St. Louis Webster University Westminster College (Missouri) Mississippi Belhaven University Millsaps College North Carolina Brevard College Greensboro College Guilford College Meredith College Methodist University North Carolina Wesleyan College Pfeiffer University Salem College (North Carolina) William Peace University Nebraska Nebraska Wesleyan University New Hampshire Colby-Sawyer College Keene State College New England College Plymouth State University Rivier University New Jersey Centenary University (New Jersey) College of Saint Elizabeth Drew University Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Kean University Montclair State University New Jersey City University Ramapo College Rowan University Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Camden Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Newark Stevens Institute of Technology Stockton University The College of New Jersey William Paterson University of New Jersey New York Alfred State College Alfred University Bard College Baruch College Brooklyn College Buffalo State, State University of New York Cazenovia College Clarkson University College at Brockport, State University of New York College of Mount Saint Vincent College of New Rochelle College of Staten Island D'Youville College Elmira College Farmingdale State College Hamilton College Hartwick College Hilbert College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Houghton College Hunter College Ithaca College John Jay College of Criminal Justice Keuka College Lehman College Manhattanville College Medaille College Medgar Evers College Morrisville State College Mount Saint Mary College (New York) Nazareth College New York University Plattsburgh State University of New York Purchase College, State University of New York Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Rochester Institute of Technology Sarah Lawrence College Skidmore College St. John Fisher College St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) St. Joseph's College (Long Island) St. Lawrence University State University College at Old Westbury State University of New York at Canton State University of New York atCobleskill State University of New York atCortland State University of New York atDelhi State University of New York atGeneseo State University of New York atNew Paltz State University of New York atOneonta State University of New York atOswego State University of New York atPotsdam State University of New York Maritime College State University of New York Polytechnic Institute The City College of New York The Sage Colleges The State University of New York at Fredonia U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Union College (New York) University of Rochester Utica College Vassar College Wells College Yeshiva University York College (New York) Ohio Baldwin Wallace University Bluffton University Capital University Case Western Reserve University Defiance College Denison University Franciscan University of Steubenville Heidelberg University Hiram College John Carroll University Kenyon College Marietta College Mount St. Joseph University Muskingum University Oberlin College Ohio Northern University Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein University The College of Wooster University of Mount Union Wilmington College (Ohio) Wittenberg University Oregon George Fox University Lewis Clark College Linfield College Pacific University (Oregon) Willamette University Pennsylvania Albright College Allegheny College Alvernia University Arcadia University Bryn Athyn College Bryn Mawr College Cabrini University Cairn University Carnegie Mellon University Cedar Crest College Chatham University Clarks Summit University Delaware Valley University DeSales University Dickinson College Eastern University Elizabethtown College Franklin Marshall College Geneva College Gettysburg College Grove City College Gwynedd Mercy University Haverford College Immaculata University Juniata College Keystone College King's College (Pennsylvania) La Roche College Lancaster Bible College Lebanon Valley College Lycoming College Marywood University Messiah College Misericordia University Moravian College Mount Aloysius College Muhlenberg College Neumann University Penn State Berks College Penn State Harrisburg Penn State University, Abington Penn State University, Altoona Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania State Univ. Erie, the Behrend College Rosemont College Saint Vincent College Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Thiel College University of Pittsburgh, Bradford University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg University of Scranton University of Valley Forge Ursinus College Washington and Jefferson College Waynesburg University Westminster College (Pennsylvania) Widener University Wilkes University Wilson College York College (Pennsylvania) Rhode Island Johnson Wales University (Providence) Rhode Island College Roger Williams University Salve Regina University Tennessee Maryville College (Tennessee) Rhodes College University of the South Texas Austin College Concordia University Texas East Texas Baptist University Hardin-Simmons University Howard Payne University LeTourneau University McMurry University Schreiner University Southwestern University (Texas) Sul Ross State University Texas Lutheran University The University of Texas at Tyler Trinity University (Texas) University of Dallas University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of Texas at Dallas Virginia Averett University Bridgewater College (Virginia) Christopher Newport University Eastern Mennonite University Emory and Henry College Ferrum College Hampden-Sydney College Hollins University Lynchburg University Mary Baldwin University Marymount University (Virginia) Randolph College Randolph-Macon College Roanoke College Shenandoah University Southern Virginia University Sweet Briar College University of Mary Washington Virginia Wesleyan College Washington and Lee University Vermont Castleton University Middlebury College Northern Vermont University–Johnson Northern Vermont University–Lyndon Norwich University Southern Vermont College Washington Pacific Lutheran University University of Puget Sound Whitman College Whitworth University Wisconsin Alverno College Beloit College Carroll University (Wisconsin) Carthage College Concordia University Wisconsin Edgewood College Lakeland University Lawrence University Maranatha Baptist University Marian University (Wisconsin) Milwaukee School of Engineering Mount Mary University Northland College Ripon College St. Norbert College University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire University of Wisconsin–La Crosse University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–River Falls University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point University of Wisconsin–Stout University of Wisconsin–Superior University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Wisconsin Lutheran College West Virginia Bethany College (West Virginia) What's Next? Learn the difference between NCAA divisions.If you're a prospective student-athlete, be sure that you know the SAT and ACT scores you'll need to be eligible to participate in NCAA athletics. Athletics should only only be one component of your college decision. Read our expert article on how to choose the best college for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: