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The fluid compartments of animals consist of intracellular and extracellular components. The intracellular component includes the body cells and, where present, the blood cells, while the extracellular component includes the tissue fluid, coelomic fluid, and blood plasma. In all cases the major constituent is water derived from the environment. The composition of the fluid varies markedly depending on its source and is regulated more or less precisely by homeostasis. Blood and coelomic fluid are often physically separated by the blood-vessel walls; where a hemocoel (a blood-containing body cavity) exists, however, blood rather than coelomic fluid occupies the cavity. The composition ...(100 of 13162 words)