Blood, like the human blood illustrated in Figure is important for regulation of the body’s systems and homeostasis. Blood helps maintain homeostasis by stabilizing pH, temperature, osmotic pressure, and by eliminating excess heat. Blood supports growth by distributing nutrients and hormones, and by removing waste. Blood plays a protective role by transporting clotting factors and platelets to prevent blood loss and transporting the disease-fighting agents or white blood cells to sites of infection.

The cells and cellular components of human blood are shown. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to the cells and remove carbon dioxide. White blood cells—including neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and basophils—are involved in the immune response. Platelets form clots that prevent blood loss after injury.

Complete the tasks on the list below:

Read the following page in the OpenStax textbook

Components of the Blood

Read the entire page

Follow the link to the Blood Typing Game and try your hand and blood typing

Use the Glossary at the bottom of the page to help with the vocabulary for this week
Use the Review Questions and Free Response questions to check for understanding

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