The Porifera Ontology (PORO): enhancing sponge systematics with an anatomy ontology
Porifera (sponges) are ancient basal metazoans that lack organs. They provide insight into key evolutionary transitions, such as the emergence of multicellularity and the nervous system. In addition, their ability to synthesize unusual compounds offers potential biotechnical applications. However, much of the knowledge of these organisms has not previously been codified in a machine-readable way using modern web standards.
morphology taxonomic identification phylogenetics evolution