Kinetics and rhythm of body contractions in the sponge Tethya wilhelma (Porifera: Demospongiae)
- PMID: 15579547
- DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01289
Kinetics and rhythm of body contractions in the sponge Tethya wilhelma (Porifera: Demospongiae)
Abstract
Sponges of the species Tethya wilhelma display rhythmic body contractions, which were analyzed by digital timelapse imaging and semi-automated image analysis. For the first time, differential, quantitative data on sponge behaviour could be obtained. The sponges are able to reduce their body volume by up to 73.3% during regular contractions. Each contraction cycle follows a characteristic pattern of four phases, permitting analysis of the kinetics of contraction and expansion. Long-term observations (for >7 days) reveal that the sponge contractions display a day-night periodicity in which contraction cycles are significantly longer during the dark hours. The contractions seem to be mediated by the pinacoderm; they are triggered locally and spread over the sponge surface at 12.5 microm s(-1). If two individuals of a clone are fused, the individual contraction rhythm of both sponges persists for several days, until a single new individual sponge is formed with a synchronized rhythm. The reported results and techniques establish T. wilhelma as a model organism for research on the development of aneural signal transduction and integration during early Metazoan evolution.
Similar articles
-
Metazoan circadian rhythm: toward an understanding of a light-based zeitgeber in sponges.Integr Comp Biol. 2013 Jul;53(1):103-17. doi: 10.1093/icb/ict001. Epub 2013 Mar 8. Integr Comp Biol. 2013. PMID: 23474951 Review.
-
The contractile sponge epithelium sensu lato--body contraction of the demosponge Tethya wilhelma is mediated by the pinacoderm.J Exp Biol. 2011 May 15;214(Pt 10):1692-8. doi: 10.1242/jeb.049148. J Exp Biol. 2011. PMID: 21525315
-
The Homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella lobularis, a promising sponge model in evolutionary and developmental biology: model sponge Oscarella lobularis.Bioessays. 2009 Jan;31(1):89-97. doi: 10.1002/bies.080058. Bioessays. 2009. PMID: 19154007 Review.
-
Coordinated contractions effectively expel water from the aquiferous system of a freshwater sponge.J Exp Biol. 2007 Nov;210(Pt 21):3736-48. doi: 10.1242/jeb.003392. J Exp Biol. 2007. PMID: 17951414
-
Like a 'rolling stone': quantitative analysis of the body movement and skeletal dynamics of the sponge Tethya wilhelma.J Exp Biol. 2006 Aug;209(Pt 15):2839-46. doi: 10.1242/jeb.02337. J Exp Biol. 2006. PMID: 16857867
Cited by
-
The premetazoan ancestry of the synaptic toolkit and appearance of first neurons.Essays Biochem. 2022 Dec 8;66(6):781-795. doi: 10.1042/EBC20220042. Essays Biochem. 2022. PMID: 36205407 Free PMC article.
-
Sponges sneeze mucus to shed particulate waste from their seawater inlet pores.Curr Biol. 2022 Sep 12;32(17):3855-3861.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.017. Epub 2022 Aug 10. Curr Biol. 2022. PMID: 35952668 Free PMC article.
-
Reafference and the origin of the self in early nervous system evolution.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021 Mar 29;376(1821):20190764. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0764. Epub 2021 Feb 8. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021. PMID: 33550954 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Exploring phylogeny to find the function of sleep.Nat Rev Neurosci. 2019 Feb;20(2):109-116. doi: 10.1038/s41583-018-0098-9. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2019. PMID: 30573905 Review.
-
Ultrafast epithelial contractions provide insights into contraction speed limits and tissue integrity.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Oct 30;115(44):E10333-E10341. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1802934115. Epub 2018 Oct 11. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018. PMID: 30309963 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources