A group of scientists from Victoria University of Wellington were alarmed to discover the sponges were bleached in more than a dozen sites near Breaksea Sound and Doubtful Sound in Fiordland off New Zealand’s southern coastline.
Key findings
- Sea sponges have been found bleached bone-white for the first time.
- Some parts as many as 95% of the sponges were bleached.
- The research team discovered the mass bleaching during a research trip in April 2022.
- The species is one of 800 species of sponge found in New Zealand.
- Sponge gardens dominate the sea floor around New Zealand and hold an important role in creating habitats for fish and releasing carbon that other species feed off.
Causes of sponges bleaching
- In 2021, the world’s oceans were the hottest in recorded history, due to climate change, which among other things can cause the oceans to acidify and degrade reefs and ecosystems.
What are Sponges?
- Sponges are simple aquatic animals with dense, yet porous, skeletons. Fossil sponges are among the oldest known animal fossils, dating from the Late Precambrian.
- The approximately 8,550 living sponge species are scientifically classified in the phylum Porifera, which is comprised of four distinct classes: the Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, Calcarea and Homoscleromorpha.
- Sponges are found in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and are often mistaken for plants. Scientists believe that their varied colorations may protect them from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Differences between corals and sponges?
- While sponges, like corals, are immobile aquatic invertebrates, they are otherwise completely different organisms with distinct anatomy, feeding methods, and reproductive processes.
- Corals are complex, many-celled organisms. Sponges are very simple creatures with no tissues.
- Poriferans (sponges) don’t have mouths; instead, they have tiny pores in their outer walls through which water is drawn.
- All corals require saltwater to survive. While most sponges are found in the ocean, numerous species are also found in fresh water and estuaries.
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