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Blood
Blood could be classified in the following way.

Red Blood Cells Lymphocytes

Blood cells White Blood cells
Blood Platelets Phagocytes
Blood plasma

Blood Cells (Solid part of blood)

1. Red Blood Cells ( RBC/ Erythrocytes)
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Functions-
Transferring of Oxygen gas and small amount of Carbon Dioxide gas in blood.

Adaptations of Red Blood Cells to carry Oxygen gas

1. It is bi concave in shape to increase the surface area to volume ratio to
absorb more Oxygen gas by diffusion.
2. It has a red colour pigment haemoglobin ( made of iron and protein) to
combine with Oxygen gas to make a temporary compound
Oxyhaemoglobin .

In lungs
Haemoglobin + oxygen Oxyhaemoblobin
In cells
3. It doesn’t have a nucleus to give more space for haemoglobin .
4. It is small in size to squeeze through even tiniest blood capillaries and
reach each and every cell.
 Red Blood Cells are produced in bone marrow and get destroyed
in liver
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2.White Blood Cells (WBC/ Leucocytes)

Function
Destroying pathogens .
 According to the methods they use to destroy pathogens , WBC
could be divided in to 2 types.
a. Phagocytes – Destroying pathogens by phagocytosis
b. Lymphocytes- Destroying pathogens by producing antibodies.

a. Phagocytes

 It has a cell membrane, cytoplasm with granules and a nucleus

which is divided in to 2 or 3 lobes.

It destroys pathogens by phagocytosis( engulfing)

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b. Lymphocytes

 It has a cell membrane, cytoplasm and a large spherical un lobed

nucleus which occupies more than half of the cell.

It destroys pathogens by producing a chemical called antibodies.

Outer surface of the pathogens contain a chemical called antigen with a

specific shape. Lymphocytes can recognize the antigen and produce the
necessary antibody (Proteins) which is able to fix to the antigen of the
pathogen and destroy the pathogen (Antibody and antigen are specific to each
other)

 The method that lymphocytes respond to pathogens by producing

antibodies is called immune response.
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