Arboreal Architecture

Euplectella aspergillum

The Venus' flower basket is a glass sponge in the phylum Porifera. It is a marine sponge found in the deep waters of the Pacific usually at depths below 500 m. Like other sponges, they feed by filtering sea water to capture plankton and marine snow. Similar to other glass sponges, they build their skeletons out of silica, which forms a unique and complex lattice structure of spicules. The silica filaments that anchor the sponge have similar properties to fibre-optic cables yet are made without the heat or pressure that our industrial processes require.

The body is tubular, curved and basket-like and made up of triaxon spicules which provide structural support and potentially defense against predators.

Euplectella aspergillum, commonly known as the Venus' flower basket, is a deep-sea glass sponge renowned for its delicate silica skeleton and symbiotic relationship with shrimp. It’s a fascinating example of both biological beauty and engineering marvel in nature.

Scientific Classification

  • Kingdom: Animalia

  • Phylum: Porifera

  • Class: Hexactinellida (glass sponges)

  • Order: Lyssacinosida

  • Family: Euplectellidae

  • Genus: Euplectella

  • Species: E. aspergillum

Habitat

  • Distribution: Western Pacific and Indian Oceans (e.g., Philippines, Japan)

  • Depth: Typically found at depths of 100 to 1,000 meters

  • Habitat: Anchored to the deep-sea floor, often in soft sediments

Morphology and Structure

  • Skeleton: Made of silica, forming an elegant, lattice-like tube

    Composed of hexactine spicules (six-pointed silica needles)

    Highly resistant to pressure and stress

  • Height: Usually 10–30 cm, but can grow taller

  • Form: Cylindrical tube with open top and anchoring spicules at the base

Biological Features

  • Sessile filter feeder: Draws water through pores to extract microscopic food

  • No organs or nerves, but the syncytial body (shared cytoplasm) allows for rapid electrical signaling—unusual for sponges

  • Slow-growing, adapted to low-energy deep-sea environments

Symbiosis with Shrimp

  • Often houses a monogamous pair of small shrimp (genus Spongicola) inside its central cavity

  • The shrimp enter as juveniles and grow too large to escape

  • They live in mutualism:

    • Sponge provides shelter

    • Shrimp help keep the sponge clean

  • In Japan, this is a symbol of eternal love and marriage, and dried sponges are given as wedding gifts

Scientific and Engineering Interest

  • The skeleton exhibits:

    • High strength-to-weight ratio

    • Biomimetic design: Inspires architecture and material science (e.g., lattice structures, fiber optics)

  • Silica is produced at ambient temperatures, unlike synthetic glass—of interest to bioengineers

Conservation and Research

  • Not under direct threat but could be affected by:

    • Deep-sea trawling

    • Climate change and ocean acidification

  • Increasing interest in biomaterials research and deep-sea biodiversity conservation