Kroppshåligorna

Kroppshåligorna refers to the body cavities found in multicellular animals. These are fluid-filled spaces that house and protect internal organs, facilitate their movement, and contribute to overall body function. The arrangement and presence of body cavities vary significantly across different animal phyla.

In simpler animals like flatworms, there is no true body cavity; the space between organs is filled with tissue. This condition is known as acoelomate. Animals like roundworms possess a pseudocoelom, a partially formed body cavity that is not completely lined by mesoderm. This is called a pseudocoelomate.

More complex animals, such as vertebrates and many invertebrates like annelids and mollusks, have a coelom. A coelom is a true body cavity completely enclosed by mesoderm. This coelomic cavity plays a crucial role in organ suspension, hydrostatic skeletal support, and facilitating physiological processes like circulation and waste removal. The specific arrangement and development of these cavities are important characteristics used in animal classification and understanding evolutionary relationships. The term "kroppshåligorna" is the Swedish word for body cavities.