tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post2429624969749946622..comments2024-03-13T19:28:05.813-04:00Comments on Ohio Birds and Biodiversity: Freshwater Sponge!Jim McCormachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07444322057532066466noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-87894169604726923962012-07-05T20:24:43.173-04:002012-07-05T20:24:43.173-04:00I've never seen a freshwater sponge in person,...I've never seen a freshwater sponge in person, but learned about them from Dr. Wood himself. I had the pleasure of learning from Dr. Wood about lots of other aquatic creatures too. I'll never forget the day he had us out sampling stuff in Huffman Lake (created during construction of Huffman Dam on the Mad River). I found a small bryozoan growing on a submerged stick, and asked him to ID it. He told me what it was, then added, " I described that species, and this is the type locality." He would've been the first person I emailed with this photo too.<br />BrianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-37546926657497714532012-07-05T15:27:37.375-04:002012-07-05T15:27:37.375-04:00Thanks for your comments everyone, and the other s...Thanks for your comments everyone, and the other sponge reports. And Ken, thanks go to you and your organization's hard work in conserving the Grand. I'm taking a long overdue trip up there Sunday with Pogacnik. We'll see sponges, rare plants, scads of cool dragonflies and much more. Expect additional blogs from the Grand!Jim McCormachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07444322057532066466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-58708397445248808682012-07-05T15:02:05.319-04:002012-07-05T15:02:05.319-04:00Cool! I remember someone showing me a freshwater s...Cool! I remember someone showing me a freshwater sponge during a field lab back in college (in Ohio) but I don't remember where.rebeccahttp://rebeccainthewoods.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-74042616660942934842012-07-05T09:40:25.623-04:002012-07-05T09:40:25.623-04:00Thanks, Jim (and Judy, John, Tim and many others) ...Thanks, Jim (and Judy, John, Tim and many others) for spreading the word about the wonders of the Grand River watershed. Here at Western Reserve Land Conservancy, we're proud to be one of the many organizations working to preserve this amazing region. Thanks!Ken Woodhttp://www.wrlandconservancy.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-69905437310962520692012-07-05T08:50:23.929-04:002012-07-05T08:50:23.929-04:00This is fascinating!! I have to admit, I had no id...This is fascinating!! I have to admit, I had no idea there were freshwater sponges anywhere, let alone here in Ohio. One take-home message is that the Grand River is even more important for biodiversity than we might have realized before, and even more richly deserving of protection. Thanks for sharing this phenomenal news!Kenn Kaufmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-7805445169704188532012-07-05T08:42:15.703-04:002012-07-05T08:42:15.703-04:00I used to find them with some regularity in the Sa...I used to find them with some regularity in the Sandy Creek at Malvern. They were also common in a number of other streams in Carroll County. They would cover a good bit of the bottom of the riffle below the Rt. 183 bridge. Not an especially clean river, but it was just downstream from a gravel pit that may have had the effect of filtering out a lot of silt. Interestingly, there is a chironomid larva, Xenochironomus xenolabis, which lives in and feeds on the sponge, and these were common in Malvern as well.Dave McShaffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12756697876078535253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6072479063452233450.post-66012326788991503062012-07-05T06:20:56.906-04:002012-07-05T06:20:56.906-04:00Although I don't know much about them, I found...Although I don't know much about them, I found something similar when I was taking a freshwater invertebrate class- it was growing in the clear waters of a beaver pond near Hiram. In Maine, my in-laws pond s full of something quite similar.Tom Arbourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01919759721690261620noreply@blogger.com