''Suberites ficus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of sponge in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Suberitidae. It is sometimes known as the sea orange sponge. Sponges are primitive animals with little apparent internal organisation. They are composed of a jellylike

mesohyl The mesohyl, formerly known as mesenchyme or as mesoglea, is the gelatinous matrix within a sponge. It fills the space between the external pinacoderm and the internal choanoderm. The mesohyl resembles a type of connective tissue and contains s ...

sandwiched between two layers of cells and have a fragile skeleton composed of stiff

spicules Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms Spicule may also refer to: *Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges *Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ( ...

. They are filter feeders, maintaining a flow of water through their structure which passes out through large openings called oscula.

Taxonomy

The name "ficus" was first used by

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

in 1766 for ''Alcyonium ficus'' but it is unclear exactly which animal he was describing and it is now thought that it may have been an

ascidian Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians, tunicates (in part), and sea squirts (in part), is a polyphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" m ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1767, Esper in 1794 and

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...

in 1814 also used the name but it was not until Johnston described the spicules as well as the sponge which he named ''Halichondria ficus'' in 1842 that it became clear what sponge was being described. Further research needs to be undertaken to clarify the position.Marine Species Identification Portal
/ref> ''Suberites suberia'' was at one time thought to be a synonym but molecular analysis has shown that it is a distinct species. ''Suberites farinaria'' is a similar but encrusting sponge but it is thought to be a juvenile form of ''S. ficus''. Another species, ''Suberites virgultosa'', used to be considered a synonym but is now considered a valid species in its own right. ''Suberites domuncula'' may also be synonymous and further study is required.

Description

''S. ficus'' is a large sponge growing up to thirty or forty centimetres across. It is usually some shade of orange or red, especially in brightly lit places, but sometimes is greyish or brownish in dimmer locations. The shape is irregular and varies, sometimes being lobose, sometimes cushion-like and sometimes encrusting. It has a smooth-looking surface but this feels rough to the touch. There are a small number of large oscules, mostly towards the top of the sponge.European Marine Life
/ref>Marine Life Information Network
/ref> On microscopic examination it can be seen that the megascleres are in two sizes, one twice as large as the other. There are very few microscleres, and these are one tenth of the size of the megascleres. The skeleton is composed of spicules arranged radially near the surface, but chaotically in the interior. There may be gemmules near the base of the sponge.

Distribution

''S. ficus'' has a global distribution but it is more abundant in the north east and north west

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

than elsewhere.Global Species
/ref> It is widely distributed around the shores of the British Isles especially the western coasts.

Habitat

''S. ficus'' is found growing on rocks from the lower shore down to a depth of two hundred metres and prefers locations with strong tidal flows. It often grows among seaweed and is also found on harbour structures and wreckage. When it grows on a stone or an empty gastropod or bivalve shell it may completely engulf it. It sometimes grows on a shell housing a living

hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an as ...

Biology

Members of this genus are generally hermaphrodites. The male and female

gamete A gamete (; , ultimately ) is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as sex cells. In species that produce ...

s may not be released simultaneously and sperm may be drawn into the vascular system of another individual. Fertilisation is internal and the

ciliated The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike project ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e are liberated into the

water column A water column is a conceptual column of water from the surface of a sea, river or lake to the bottom sediment.Munson, B.H., Axler, R., Hagley C., Host G., Merrick G., Richards C. (2004).Glossary. ''Water on the Web''. University of Minnesota-D ...

and become part of the

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

. Asexual reproduction also takes place, either by budding or through the development of gemmules. These are "survival pods" and remain dormant under normal conditions. They can become active when a period of adverse conditions such as an excessive exposure to low temperatures comes to an end.

Ecology

''S. ficus'' does not have many

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

. This may be because it has an unpleasant odour or because the spicules make it unpalatable. It is eaten however by some marine gastropods and some

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

s. It forms part of the diet of the

Atlantic bluefin tuna The Atlantic bluefin tuna (''Thunnus thynnus'') is a species of tuna in the family Scombridae. It is variously known as the northern bluefin tuna (mainly when including Pacific bluefin as a subspecies), giant bluefin tuna or individuals excee ...

''(Thunnus thynnus)''. When the sponge grows on a shell occupied by a hermit crab there may be mutual advantages to both. The sponge benefits from the crab's ability to move away from predators such as nudibranchs, while the crab may benefit from the sponge's unpalatability and the

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

it provides. ''S. ficus ssp rubrus'' is being investigated as a possible source of antibiotics, anti-fouling and other biologically active compounds because it was noticed that when the shells of cultivated scallops, family

Pectinidae Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

, were host to this sponge, no other invertebrates fouled the shells.Aquaculture of sponges on scallops for natural products research and antifouling.
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Dangeard, P. (1932).
Sur un Microspora symbiotique d'une éponge, Ficulina ficus (M. ficulinae sp. nov.)
'. Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France, 79(3), 491–494. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2442454 Suberitidae Animals described in 1842