Question

Commercial “bath-sponge” is obtained from
a. Euspongia
b. Songilla
c. Euplectella
d. Cliona

Answer 1

Poriferans are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels which allow water to flow through them, composed of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells.

Complete answer:

Option A is correct. Euspongia is commonly known as 'bath sponge' which is a sponge used commercially. It belongs to the Phylum Porifera and class Demospongiae. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a hermaphroditic species and can reproduce asexually by budding or by reproducing sexually.

Option B is incorrect. Spongilla is a genus of aquatic sponges found within the family Spongillidae in lakes and slow streams. They stick to rocks and sticks and filter the water in the pond for different small aquatic organisms such as protozoa, bacteria, and other free-floating life. As compared to marine sponges, freshwater sponges are subject to much more unfavorable and complex environmental conditions.

Option C is incorrect. Euplectella is a genus of glass sponges which contains the famous Venus Flower Basket. It is a nautical sponge located in the Pacific Ocean. They build their silica skeletons which are of great interest to materials science because they don't need heat to form their glass lattices, which in some ways makes their properties superior to the fiber optics that they produce. Like other sponges, they feed for catching plankton by filtering seawater.

Option D is incorrect. Cliona celata, also called a red boring sponge, is a demosponge species belonging to the Clionaidae tribe. It is found all over the world. These sponges are popular in Narragansett Bay and Southern New England. Typically, they live in lagoons, or on reefs. Red boring sponges can reproduce in both sex and asexual form. Often dead mollusks or other shelled animals may make their home.
So, the correct answer is Option A.

Note: Sponges have multipotent cells that can turn into other forms, and in the process even transition between the main layers of the cells and mesohyl. They have no circulatory, digestive or nervous systems. Instead, they rely more on maintaining a steady flow of water through their bodies to get food and oxygen and eliminate waste.