BOND, C.*; NEFF, J.; Greensboro College, Greensboro NC; Greensboro College, Greensboro NC: WOUND-HEALING, EXTERNAL EFFECTS AND MORPHOLOGY IN MARINE SPONGES

Experiments were done to examine the effects of ambient light and flow on wound-healing in sponges; the effects of wounding on sponge internal structure were also examined. Wounds (1-5-mm gashes) were made with glass needles on the margins of small intact specimens of Aplysilla longispina. Times for wound closure were 1-2 days in control conditions, 2-3 days in low-flow tanks, and more than 3 days in low-light tanks. Time lapse video-microscopy revealed that wound closure resulted mainly from active cell movements around the wound. These cell movements also produced significant rearrangements of the canal system. These findings suggest that sponge structure and plasticity (as seen in wound closure) arise from cell behaviors that are sensitive to changes in ambient light and flow.