Sponges have adapted a variety of predatory defenses including, tough fibrous components, noxious chemical substances and mineralized sclercites. Diketopiperazines were previously ascribed to T. ignus but these chemicals were found to be produced by a bacterium thought to be a Microccus species. Studies have also found inactive or mildly cytotoxic components which may have tumor-inhibitory characteristics. As a cryptic sponge living in either mangrove patches or under coral rubble fire sponges have weaker defenses than conspicuous reef sponges and are favored by predators. There are several specialized fish and non-fish predators that have specialized to overcome the defenses of T. ignus.
Known Predators:
In general fire sponges are conspicuous with a bright orange color. They are sessile, growing in low mounds extending in all directions, approximately 1 cm thick. Oscula are scattered throughout the organism. The shape and size of spicules are a major characteristic used for classification and identification of sponges. The spicules of T. ignus are smooth with curved styles and the tylotes are straight with microspined ends. Tedania ignus has spicules ranging in size from 50-270 µm in length and 32.-9.8 µm in width. The diameter of the ostial openings are 3.5-14.0 µm.
Tedania ignus can be difficult to differentiate from other species in the same family. One example of this is Tedania klausi which shares the bright orange coloring with T. ignus. Both species have similar spicule sizes. However, they can be differentiated by the more defined volcano shaped columns with a single osculum in Tedania klausi.
Range length: 1 to 30 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; poisonous
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
The lifespan of an individual organism is difficult to quantify because of the regeneration and asexual reproduction.
Fire sponges are found in shallow tropical waters with a relatively slow but steady water flow. They usually live at depths between 0.5-2 m. Tedania ignis are found in two general habitats: amongst red mangrove roots and in coral reefs. When in association with a reef habitat T. ignis generally hides in cryptic locations under patches of coral rubble due to the increase in predation by fish.
Range depth: 0.5 to 2 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: reef ; coastal
The range of Tedania ignis, common name fire sponge, is primarily in the Neotropical Region; however, there are significant populations in the southern Neartic Region. The southernmost population exists off the coast of Brazil and extend as far north as South Carolina. There have been reports of T. ignis in the Southern Pacific near Hawaii however these are unconfirmed and could be attributed to the difficulty of classifying species within the family Tedaniidae.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )
Tedania ignus is a filter feeder consuming small and large planktonic particles. One study found the specific filtration rate of T. ignus to be 1597 milliliters per hour per gram of tissue. It also had significantly higher filtration rates when fed a mix of different phytoplankton.
Plant Foods: phytoplankton
Foraging Behavior: filter-feeding
Primary Diet: planktivore
As in all Porifera, fire sponges lack a nervous system and therefore have little ability to communicate or perceive the outside environment. However there is evidence that larvae have the ability to respond to light as an indicator for determining the final location of settlement. While not confirmed one theory is that the posterior flagelar tuft which provides locomotor capabilities may contain pigment granules used for photoresponse.
Perception Channels: polarized light
Tedania ignus is not listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), The United States Federal list of endangered species, or by CITES species database. This is likely due to a lack of research that has been conducted on the size of populations.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
Often within the class Demospongiae, sponges brood embryos and eventually release parenchymella larvae. The larvae of T. ignus have a flagella tuft which it uses to swim while finding a suitable space for settlement. Larvae can respond to light to a certain extent to guide their search but that their eventual settlement is largely attributed to the water currents and conditions. Once the larvae find a suitable substrate location they will settle and metamorphose into adults. This transformation and growth period involves four basic stages: the formation of functional areas including, choanocyte chambers, mesohyl, pinacoderms, ostia and the initial stages of oscules; maturation of functional tissues, increasing complexity of skeletal structure and canal system; remodeling of mature tissue; and the general increase in size. The growth rate of a sponge is largely dependent on the environmental conditions, specifically light, food and space.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis ; colonial growth
There are no data on the number of people that suffer from contact dermatitis as a result of an encounter with T. ignus but it may be a health hazard.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (poisonous )
Unlike other sponge species T. ignus is not a directly commercial itself. Instead, it helps control phytoplankton blooms which can be detrimental to the overall ecosystem and have a negative impact on commercially relevant species. T. ignus, along with other sponges are being investigated for potential pharmacological uses from the bioactive compounds with antiviral and antibacterial characteristics.
Positive Impacts: research and education; controls pest population
Tedania ignus is a facultative mutualist with red mangroves, by both providing the plant with a source of nitrogen and protecting the roots from root boring isopods. Tedania ignus profits by having a physically stable and conspicuous habitat. Furthermore, fire sponges have been found to play an important role in the conservation of biological diversity. A decrease in biomass of T. ignus and other suspension feeders in combination with an increase in nitrogen and phosphorous pollution have resulted in devastating phytoplankton and cyano bacteria blooms in the Florida Bay area. These blooms have led to the deterioration of the ecosystem and loss of biodiversity in the estuary. In addition marine sponges as a whole serve a crucial role to the overall reef system by stabilizing physically damaged reefs, nutrient cycling, providing a food source and acting as primary producers.
Mutualist Species:
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
While T. ignus does not display specific mating behavior, most species in the class Demospongiae are capable of both asexual and sexual reproduction. The method of reproduction varies on environmental factors such as physical or biological disturbances. Furthermore, sponges are incredibly adept at regeneration.
Sponges, Tedania ignus included, do not have true reproductive organs. However, there are multiple ways sponges use to reproduce including, larval metamorphosis, differentiation of tissue, production of gemmules and budding. In asexual reproduction the gemmules are an aggregation of mesohyl cells. Typically 8 to 12 eggs are in each brooded group at the beginning of the reproductive period. The production of gemmules is seasonal and varies among species. In T. ignus larvae release occurs from late April through August. Larvae are released through the ectosome which is the dermal layer.
Breeding season: April-August
Range number of offspring: 15 to 20.
Range time to independence: 48 to 72 hours.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; simultaneous hermaphrodite; sexual ; asexual ; fertilization (Internal )
Tedania ignus does not have any parental care; once the gametes are released the sessile parent has no further role.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement
Ellison et al. (1996) studied the interactions between Tedania ignis and Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) on mangrove cays in Belize. On these cays, subtidal prop roots of mangroves at the water's edge often extend 1 to 2 meters below lowest low water before anchoring in the substrate. These roots host a community of algal and invertebrate epibionts dominated by massive sponges. Mangroves provide the only habitat (hard substrate) for sponges in this ecosystem. Results from experiments by Ellison et al. indicated that the growth of sponges on mangrove roots benefited both the sponges and the tree. Sponges grew faster when on mangrove roots and roots covered with sponges both exhibited increased root growth and were attacked less by wood boring isopods (the limnoriid Phycolimnoria clarkae), which themselves reduce root growth. The increased root growth appeared to be attributable at least in part to the transfer of inorganic nitrogen from sponges to roots via adventitious fine rootlets. Not only do mangrove roots obtain dissolved inorganic nitrogen from sponges, but also sponges assimilate carbon that is passively leaked from mangrove roots. Thus, where they occur together, massive sponges and mangroves are facultative mutualists. (Ellison et al. 1996)
The Fire Sponge (Tedania ignis) is a conspiciuous sponge that forms rough, bright orange crusts with occasional openings (oscules, through which water is expelled) on hard substrates. As one of the most common, readily collected, and easily manipulated species in shallow waters of the tropical western Atlantic, it has been used in investigations of sponge chemistry, larval biology, and ecology. It is one of a number of sponges that causes contact dermatitis in humans. (Kaplan 1988; Wulff 2006)
The Fire Sponge (Tedania ignis) is common throughout the tropical western Atlantic (Wulff 2006).
Tedania ignis has been reported from much of the coast of Brazil and throughout the wider Caribbean region: from Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama, to Belize, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, to the Indian River Lagoon, northern Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda (Wulff 2006 and references therein).
Reports have not been confined to the tropical western Atlantic. Sponges similar to T. ignis were collected in Hawaii and Palau and referred to as a distinct subspecies, T. ignis pacifica. Like the Hawaii specimen, a sponge collected in Guam and identified as T. ignis has small spicules relative to Caribbean Tedania. These Pacific "T. ignis", however, require further investigation. The volcano-shaped mounds, transluscent inflated vertical canals, and white flecks in the ectosome of this navigation-buoy-dwelling sponge from Guam match the external characteristics of T. klausi (the cryptic species known from Caribbean seagrass beds), raising the possibility that T. klausi may have recently colonized the Caribbean from the tropical Pacific--or vice versa. (Wulff 2006 and references therein)
Chemical defenses are an important antipredatory strategy of Caribbean sponges. In contrast, sponge skeletal components
do not appear to serve an antipredatory function. (Waddell and Pawlik 2000 and references therein)
Tedania ignis is found in tropical shallow waters of the western Atlantic. It is abundant on mangrove roots in the Caribbean. A very similar species, Tedania klausi, is found in seagrass habitats as well as among mangroves. Tedania ignis is eliminated from seagrass habitats by predation by the sea star Oreaster reticulatus, and T. klausi seems not to do as well in mangrove habitats as does T. ignis.(Wulff 2006).
Tedania ignis sponges brood embryos and release parenchymella larvae. In a study in Florida (Maldonado and Young 1996), larval release started in late April, during a period of rise in water temperature. At the beginning of the reproductive season, embryos were found in 90 to 100% of the individuals. These sponges appear to be simultaneous hermaphrodites (i.e., both male and female). Densities of eggs and embryos were highest at the beginning of the reproductive period. Tedania ignis parenchymella larvae are red-orange elongate spheroids and are uniformly covered with short cilla, except for the posterior end, which is bare. Larvae can temporarily constrict the middle of their bodies, as well as extrude and protract the anterior ends. Larvae swim with a clockwise corkscrew motion and with the flagellar end directed backwards. In contrast to some other sponge larvae, T. ignis larvae never swim vigorously; they remain near the bottom unless disturbed by water turbulence. Larvae of T. ignis stop corkscrew swimming after 12 to 72 hours, crawl for a variable period of time, and finally attach by the anterior pole. Maldonado and Young found that T. ignis larvae that did not settle within about 96 hours lost their body cilia and became lethargic. Nevertheless, most of these lethargic larvae were able to attach about 2 days later, and they ultimately became healthy juveniles. A single osculum appeared in juveniles about 2 days after settlement. Larvae were photonegative during the whole swimming period under laboratory conditions.
Larval release extends over a long period of time, and it is not a synchronous event at either the individual or population level. In most demosponges, larvae are expelled through the oscula by the outgoing water effluent. Larvae of T. ignis leave the body of the parent by creeping through the ectosome. This is very unusual for demosponges. Most sponge larvae, including those in this study, display a crawling behavior for a few minutes or hours just before settlement. This behavior is accompanied in some cases by extrusion of the anterior end of the larva. (Maldonado and Young 1996)
Contact with Tedania ignis may cause contact dermatitis in humans. Typically, symptoms include initial prickling, itching, and moderately painful irritation lasting for 15 minutes to 24 hours. Delayed reactions in some cases may include moderate to severe pain and itching, skin redness, swelling and blistering, and skin peeling. (Isbister and Hooper 2005)
According to Burnett et al. (1987), there is initially no reaction to contact, but after a few minutes to hours a stinging or itchy sensation occurs that may persist for several weeks. The stinging sensation or paresthesia ("pins and needles") may increase in intensity for the first two to three days. Eye contact with the sponges can produce iritis or corneal lesions. Local treatment with cold soaks can reduce symptoms. The surface slime on the sponge seems to produce the dermatitis: touching wet sponges produces worse symptoms.
