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Why is hemoglobin in mammals confined with a red blood cell instead of being dissolved in plasma?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
A red blood cell contains about 200 million hemoglobin molecules. If all this hemoglobin was in the plasma rather than inside the cells, blood would be so "thick" that the heart would have a difficult time pumping it through. The thickness of blood is called viscosity. The greater the viscosity of blood, the more friction there is and more pressure is needed to force blood through the heart and vessels.Since hemoglobin is a respiratory pigment the efficiency of oxygen transport is high in this closed and packaged model of the red blood cell.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe fact that hemoglobin is contained in erythrocytes, rather than existing free in plasma, prevent it (1) from breaking into fragments that would leak out of the bloodstream (through the rather porous capillary membranes) and (2) from contributing to blood viscosity and osmotic pressure.
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Elaine N. Marieb, Katja Hoehn
Page 638
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoyes
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What organelle synthesizes hemoglobin of mammals?
Ribosomes
How is seal hemoglobin different to human hemoglobin?
All hemoglobin has something called the Bohr effect, which is a negative effect of binding oxygen by hemoglobin in the presence of acid. This effect is some what exaggerated in diving mammals.
The hemoglobin of mammals and birds is synthesized on this tiny two-part organelle?
ribosomes
What place do mammals have in the desert?
Mammals are found in all the deserts of the world except the Antarctic Desert. mammals in Antarctica are confined to coastal regions only. Seals are the only animals seen on land in Antarctica.
Are echinoderms mammals?
No. Mammals belong to the vertebrates group and echinoderms are invertebrates, and have exoskeletons instead.
What layer of the rainforest does the malayan tapir live in?
Tapirs are large ungulate mammals, so their activities are confined to the forest floor.
How does your body make hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin is found in all mammals and in some vertebrates. The following is for mammals only. Our DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) carries the blueprints for Hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein that is carried by red blood cells or used by organs as an antioxidant and a regulator of iron metabolism. Hemoglobin is made before the cell is made; the alpha chain and the beta chain are made in precisely equal amounts, despite the differing number of genes. The protein chains join in developing red blood cells, and remain together for the life of the red cell.
Do all aquatic animals breathe oxygen dissolved in water?
All except for aquatic mammals such as dolphins and whales and reptiles such as snakes and turtles.
2 ways oxygen is carried in the blood?
Oxygen binds (oxygenation) to metalloproteins (like hemoglobin in mammals) in erythrocytes (red blood cells). When the oxygenated metalloprotein reaches a tissue, the environment (low pH, high CO2 partial pressure, etc.) triggers the O2 unloading and CO2 loading. The O2 is then taken up into the tissue.
Are turltes a mammal?
No turtles are not mammals instead they are reptiles.
Why is earthworm blood red?
Earthworms have blood and it is enclosed in a network of tubes much like the blood system of mammals. It is red because it contains the oxygen carrying pigment hemoglobin. Unlike mammals, where the hemoglobin is inside red blood cells, earthworm hemoglobin is just mixed in the liquid of the blood, commonly called hemolymph. Earthworms pump their blood around the body with the help of 5 specialized blood vessels that contract and expand. They are the worm's hearts.
How reptiles different from mammals?
they are cold blooded, and lay eggs instead of giving live birth like mammals.
