# Spongocoel

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spongocoel
> Source revision: 1336953238
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{{refimprove|date=December 2009}}
A '''spongocoel''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|p|ɒ|ŋ|ɡ|oʊ|ˌ|s|iː|l}}{{refn|{{Dictionary.com|accessdate=2016-01-24|Spongocoel}}}}), also called '''paragaster''' (or paragastric cavity), is the large, '''central cavity''' of [sponge](/source/sponge)s.  Water enters the spongocoel through hundreds of tiny pores ([ostia](/source/Ostium_(sponges))) and exits through the larger opening ([osculum](/source/osculum)). Depending on the body plan of the sponge (which can be [asconoid](/source/asconoid), [syconoid](/source/syconoid), or [leuconoid](/source/leuconoid)), the spongocoel could be a simple interior space of the sponge or a complexly branched inner structure. Regardless of body plan or class, the spongocoel is lined with [choanocyte](/source/choanocyte)s, which have [flagella](/source/flagellum) that push water through the spongocoel, creating a current.

The spongocoel is lined by a variety of cell types, each having a unique function:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://people.eku.edu/schusterg/bio542/porifera.htm|title=The Phylum Porifera|website=people.eku.edu|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>
* [porocyte](/source/porocyte)s – line the pores of the sponge and are the structure through which water is taken into the organism
* choanocytes – exhibit flagella that create inward currents of water for the sponge's stationary filter feeding mechanism
* [amoebocytes](/source/amebocyte) – motile cells that perform various digestive functions within the sponge by transporting and/or storing food and excreting waste.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Category:Sponge anatomy

{{Poriferan-stub}}
{{Animal-anatomy-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spongocoel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spongocoel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spongocoel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.