Sea Sponges Found Migrating: A Rare Underwater Phenomenon

Swift Summary

• Revelation: Scientists aboard the research vessel Polarstern in the Arctic observed sea sponges moving across the seafloor, previously thought impossible for these sessile organisms.
• movement Mechanism: Sponges move at an extremely slow pace, leaving skeletal spicules behind as trails; this may aid feeding or reproduction strategies.
• ecological Role: Sea sponges are crucial ecosystem engineers. They stabilize seafloors, support marine biodiversity through filtration adn habitat formation, and help regulate ocean chemistry.
• Past Importance: Used for centuries by humans, sponges contribute to biomedical advancements like cancer-fighting drugs and tissue regeneration today.
• Climate Resilience: Some sponge species show adaptability to warmer conditions. Though,they face challenges from human activities like trawling and mining.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Sponges play a critical yet underappreciated role in global marine ecosystems-filtering water volumes equivalent to thousands of gallons daily,stabilizing habitats for benthic life after extinction events. Their newfound ability to move enriches researchers’ understanding of their adaptive strategies amid changing environments.

While India’s maritime concerns historically center around fisheries or pollution control, insights into sponge ecology have notable long-term implications. Given india’s vast coastline and deep-sea territories (e.g., Bay of Bengal), sponge functionality could provide natural solutions for marine sustainability-especially concerning filtering pollutants or enhancing biodiverse zones along coral reefs. With climate change creating irreversible effects on oceans globally-including regions near India-the country’s scientific community may find inspiration from this discovery when addressing ecological crises closer to home.

India could also explore regulated harvesting practices aligned with sustainable biomedicine sectors as part of its growing investments in biotechnology industries leveraging unique marine resources.

Read More: https://nautil.us/sea-sponges-on-the-move-1209877/