Through which cells do Porifera digest food?

• A. Amoebocytes
• B. Epithelial Cells
• C. Neurons
• D. Choanocytes

Answer: (A)

In sponges, there isn’t a digestive tube or gut; digestion happens inside individual cells (intracellular digestion). Food particles are first captured by the collar cells, the choanocytes, which can phagocytose small particles. The digested material is then taken up by amoebocytes (also called archaeocytes) in the mesohyl, where enzymes within lysosomes break down the food and nutrients are distributed to other cells. This makes amoebocytes the primary cells responsible for digesting ingested food. Epithelial cells mainly form the outer layer and don’t digest food, while neurons aren’t a feature in sponges. So, digestion through amoebocytes best explains how Porifera process their food.