Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Nature / Animals / Difference Between Cnidaria and Porifera

Difference Between Cnidaria and Porifera

August 8, 2012 Posted by Naveen

Cnidaria vs Porifera
 

Only because Cnidaria and Porifera are phyla with small bodied organisms, it does not mean that they are closely related. Cnidarians and poriferans are mostly marine animals, but some are found in freshwater, as well. There are many differences exhibited between cnidarians and poriferans discussed in this article.

Cnidaria

Cnidaria is a phylum of animals, which contains amazingly beautiful coral reefs, electrifying jellyfish, and many other interesting oceanic creatures. There are about 10,000 species of cnidarians and all of them are unique among all other organisms for the presence of the Cnidocytes. Their outermost body layer is known as the mesoglea, which is a gel-like substance stacked between two single-cell layered epithelia. The shape of the body of cnidarians is maintained via hydrostatic pressure, but some species have endoskeletons or calcified exoskeletons. They don’t usually have muscles, but some anthozoans do. The movements of the body are performed using the moving of fibres in the epithelium.

Cnidarians do not have systems for respiration and circulation, but the cellular diffusion of contents takes place according to osmotic pressure gradients inside their bodies. The nerve net is the nervous system, and it secretes hormones, as well. It is important to notice that their digestive system is incomplete. One of the important characteristic of them is the alteration of generations with two body forms, and those are the sexual body plan (medusa) and the asexual body plan (polyp). However, the overall body plan of all the cnidarians is always radially symmetrical. The medusae are usually free-swimming animals, while polyps are sessile.

Porifera

Porifera means pore bearer in Latin, which is mainly because poriferans do have a lot of pores on their body. Porifera is the name of the phylum that consists of sponges, the multicellular animals without most of the vital body organ systems such as nervous, digestive, or circulatory systems. However, it may be fair enough to wonder whether they are animals. In fact, they are classified as animals since there are no cell walls around their body cells. Additionally, poriferans are heterotrophs, made of live cells, sexually reproduce.

The interest about poriferans is very high due to the lack of the vital organ systems. However, the required nutrients to sustain life of poriferans are taken inside their bodies and transported through the body using their pores. Sponges live by attached to a substrate; which means that they are sessile animals, and live in both freshwater and saltwater. However, the majority lives in the sea and few in freshwater. Sponges are found in a range of habitats including coastal zones as well as the deep-sea bottoms. Their bodies do have neither a particular shape nor symmetry, but it is developed in such a way that increases the efficiency of water flow through the body. Despite their lowness in body organization, poriferans are highly diversified with 5,000 – 10,000 species those have been evolved since 490 – 530 million years.

What is the difference between Cnidaria and Porifera?

• Cnidaria and porifera are two different phyla.

• Cnidarians have Cnidocytes but not the poriferans.

• Cnidarians have well-organized organ systems but not the poriferans; on the other hand, poriferans have an efficient tunnel system made up of pores but not the cnidarians.

• Poriferans evolved earlier than cnidarians, according to the fossil evidence.

• Adult sponges live always attached to a substrate, but not all the cnidarians are sessile.

• Cnidarians have defined body shapes but not the poriferans.

Related posts:

Difference Between Cnidaria and CtenophoraDifference Between Cnidaria and Ctenophora Difference Between Cnidocytes and Nematocysts Difference Between American Foxhound and English Foxhound Difference Between Sexual and Asexual ReproductionDifference Between Sexual and Asexual Reproduction Difference Between Sea Lion and Seal

Filed Under: Animals Tagged With: cnidaria, cnidarians, Porifera, Poriferans

About the Author: Naveen

Naveen is a Doctoral Student in Agroforestry, former Research Scientist and an Environmental Officer. He has more than ten years of diverse experience as a Zoologist and Environmental Biologist.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Cork and Bark

Difference Between Cork and Bark

Difference Between Petiole and Pedicel

Difference Between Petiole and Pedicel

Difference Between Credit Sales and Accounts Receivable

Difference Between Credit Sales and Accounts Receivable

Difference Between Filgrastim and Pegfilgrastim

Difference Between Filgrastim and Pegfilgrastim

Difference Between Polypropylene and Nylon

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cholangiocarcinoma
  • What is the Difference Between Medulla Oblongata and Spinal Cord
  • What is the Difference Between CHF and Pulmonary Edema
  • What is the Difference Between Bisphosphonates and Denosumab
  • What is the Difference Between Colles Fracture and Smith Fracture
  • What is the Difference Between Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.