Page 25 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

AZURE VASE SPONGE (Callyspongia plicifera) < 60 cm / 2 ft
ri ht lue ase s on e ith hi hl ruf ed alls. a e found ro in in dense clusters. a uoresce at de th.
Sponges get their shape and rigidity from microscopic glass-like bers in their bodies called spicules. These are woven together to create a framework around which the animal can grow. It also allows them to be exible in currents and surge, in much the same way that berglass does. In other species, such as the Dysidea below right , thin laments of algae take the place of spicules and even small particles of sand can be taken up and used to strengthen the walls of the sponge. Sponges have a close relationship with the cyanobacteria p. 40 , and they get much of their energy from their photosynthesis. igments in the sponge give them their bright colors and some species, such as the Azure ase Sponge below left , can uoresce, seeming to give off a light of their own.
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