Today, biologists classify sponges as animals rather than plants. What evidence supports today’s classification? (SC.912.L.15.6) *

Question

1 point
Sponges have asymmetry.
Sponges do not have a backbone.
Sponges cannot make their own food.
Sponges do not have tissues or organs.

Answer 1

The evidence that supports the classification of sponges as animals rather than plants is:

Sponges cannot make their own food.

This characteristic aligns with the definition of animals, which are heterotrophic organisms that obtain their nutrients by consuming other organisms, unlike plants that perform photosynthesis to produce their own food. The other options, while relevant to the classification of sponges, do not specifically support the distinction between animals and plants as clearly as the inability to make their own food does.