NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sponges eat plankton, viruses, bacteria, and other dissolved organic materials. While most people may be familiar with the terms “omnivore” and “carnivore, ” neither quite apply to the sponge. Sponges are filter feeders and passively allow water to flow through them, capturing any food that goes through.

Detailed explanation-2: -There are only a few animals worldwide that eat sponges, including the Hawksbill sea turtle, some nudibranchs, and a few species of tropical fishes.

Detailed explanation-3: -Some crustaceans, mainly crabs, use sponges for camouflage by removing a piece of a living sponge and holding it against their carapace (shell); the best known example of this type of mutualistic association is that of the sponge Suberites domuncula and hermit crabs, which live in the shells of gastropod mollusks.

Detailed explanation-4: -Inside the sponge, tiny hairlike structures called flagella create currents to filter bacteria out of the sponge’s cells and trap food within them. Their strong skeletal structures help sponges withstand the high volume of water that flows through them each day.