Beaten by the rough water, the pink Leucetta sponge hangs tightly to the amorphous surface of a rock. Like a coffee filter, the sponge circulates the water through its pores and catches the food particles with its rope-like cells.

-AJ Clark

Stuck on the rock with the appearance of gum spread out on the sidewalk, sponges come in a wide range of colors. Like the sponges themselves, their environment (the underside of rocks) is often a surprising splash of bright colors of different organisms. Like all sponges the pink Leucetta has many collar cells, allowing it to suck water around it, thereby obtaining its food and oxygen. Sponges suck both animals and plants for their food, making them an omnivore. Sponges filter our waters where we dump tons of waste every day.

-Sung Min Hye

The blue Sigmadocin sponge is like a cloud in that no matter how big or small a piece you break off of it, a cloud will continue its existence. Because sponges have cells that do multiple tasks it is possible to break a piece off of a sponge and it will keep on living. The cells provide oxygen and filter water. Without sponges the water will become filled with detritus and other waste particles.

-Derron Uezu

As the vibrant orange of the red Mycele reflects from the reef, its body menacingly oozes over the bare ground like lava flowing from the mouth of Kilauea to the ocean bottom. The red Mycele is a sponge and has no skeleton, brain, or any major organ. It only has cells that do different jobs like producing toxins in some sponges to protect itself. Other cells filter the area around it for food and also clean the water, making it more attractive to other organisms.

-Jason Li