Sponges- A group of commercially important animals

Abstract

Sponges act like animated filters, feeding on the great variety of micro- scopic fauna and flora as well as on the fine bits of detritus that usually occur in the waters surrounding them. Most of the sponges are marine except one family which occurs in fresh water. During the last century the simplicity and primitiveness of sponges stimulated much research to solve the many rid- dles in biology.