Spongivores

Spongivores are organisms that feed primarily on sponges, a diverse group of sessile animals in the phylum Porifera. Spongivory occurs across marine vertebrates and invertebrates and can influence sponge community composition on reefs and other habitats.

A well-known spongivore is the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), which specializes on sponges on coral reefs. Hawksbills use their elongated, beaked jaws to extract sponge tissue as they browse along reef structures. Their feeding preferences help shape sponge populations and the distribution of sponge-rich microhabitats.

Other spongivores include various sea slugs, such as nudibranchs, and a few reef fishes, notably some angelfishes, that consume sponge tissue as part of their diet. Spongivory is often highly selective, with predators targeting particular sponge species or chemical groups.

Sponges possess chemical defenses and tough skeletons that deter many potential predators; spongivores that specialize on sponges have adaptations to tolerate or detoxify these compounds.

This predator-prey interaction contributes to the ecological complexity of marine benthic communities and can influence competition between corals and sponges, with implications for reef biodiversity.

Related topics include Porifera and the hawksbill turtle.