Which term describes a feeding method that relies on filtering particles suspended in water?

• A. Polyp
• B. Suspension Feeder
• C. Radial Symmetry
• D. Porifera

Answer: (B)

Filtering particles suspended in water is called suspension feeding. This feeding method uses the flow of water to bring in small food particles and catch them with specialized filtering structures, such as the choanocytes in sponges or filtering appendages in other animals. The term that describes this feeding strategy is Suspension Feeder. For example, many sponges (Porifera) rely on drawing water through their bodies and trapping particles to obtain nutrients, illustrating this method. A polyp is a life form or body plan in some cnidarians, not a feeding method; radial symmetry describes body organization, not how food is obtained; Porifera is the sponge phylum, which includes suspension feeders but the question asks for the feeding method itself.