Sclerosponge

Sclerosponges are sponges with a soft body that covers a hard, often massive skeleton made of calcium carbonate, either aragonite or calcite. Because of their long life span (500-1,000 years) it is thought that analysis of the aragonite skeletons of these sponges could extend data regarding ocean temperature, salinity, and other variables farther into the past than has been previously possible. Their dense skeletons are deposited in an organized chronological manner, in concentric layers or bands. The layered skeletons look similar to reef corals. Therefore sclerosponges are also called coralline sponges.

Sclerosponges were first proposed as a class of sponges, Sclerospongiae, in 1970 by Hartman and Goreau. [cite journal|author = W. D. Hartman and T. F. Goreau|year = 1970|title = Jamaican coralline sponges: Their morphology, ecology and fossil relatives|journal = Symp. Zool. Soc. Lond.|volume = 25|pages = 205–243 (Cited by [http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/sil/work1.htm] .)] However, it was later found by Vacelet that sclerosponges occur in different classes of Porifera. [cite journal|author = J. Vacelet|year = 1985|title = Coralline sponges and the evolution of the Porifera|journal = System. Assoc. Spec.|volume = 28|pages = 1–13] That means that sclerosponges are not a closely related (taxonomic) group of sponges. Like bats and birds that independently developed the ability to fly, different sponges developed the ability to build a calcareous skeleton independently and during different times in Earth history. Fossil sclerosponges are already known from the Cambrian period. [cite journal|author = J. Reitner|year = 1992|title = Coralline Spongien. Der Versuch einer phylogenetisch-taxonomischen Analyse|journal = Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen Reihe E (Paläobiologie)|volume = 1|pages = 1–352 ]

Sclerosponges include the species "Ceratoporella nicholsoni", "Stromatospongia vermicola", "Hispidopetra miniana", "S. norae", "Goreauiella auriculatra", and "Merlia sp.", which were described in detail by Lang et al. in 1975. [cite journal|author = J. C. Lang, W. D. Hartman and L. S. Land|year = 1975|title = Sclerosponges: Primary framework constructors on the Jamaican fore-reef|journal = Mar. Res.|volume = 33|pages = 223–231 (Cited by [http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/sil/work4.html] .)]

References

External references

* [http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/sil/work1.htm Notes of the Sclerosponge Workshop, Miami, FL, March 21-23, 1998]
* [http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/sil/work4.html List of reference works used in the Sclerosponge Workshop, Miami, FL, March 21-23, 1998 (offline reference works)]
* [http://mgg.rsmas.miami.edu/faculty/pswart/rosenheim%20et%20al%202004.pdf#search='Sclerosponge' High-resolution Sr/Ca records in sclerosponges calibrated to temperature in situ (PDF file)]