Blood is a body fluid in humans and other animals that delivers necessary substances such

as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same
cells. It is a red fluid and contains red blood cells, white blood cells, proteins, platelets and other
substances. Blood is transported via the circulatory system in the body. It consists of blood cells
suspended in plasma. Plasma constitutes 55% of blood fluid while red blood cells, white blood cells and
platelets consist of the other 45%. The two main types of blood cells are erythrocytes (red blood cells)
and leukocytes (white blood cells). Red blood cells are used by the body to transport oxygen to cells and
tissues for aerobic respiration. They absorb oxygen in the lungs via the protein haemoglobin, which gives
them their red color. The haemoglobin reversely binds with oxygen in areas of high oxygen
concentration to form oxyhaemoglobin, giving it a bright red color. The oxyhaemoglobin then releases
the oxygen in areas of low oxygen concentration which causes the blood to return to its dark red color.
In order for red blood cells to transport oxygen efficiently, it has a biconcave shape that provides a large
surface area for oxygen absorption. These cells also have no nucleus so they can contain more
haemoglobin for oxygen transport. Red blood cells are also very small and flexible to allow them to pass
through blood vessels easily. White blood cells are the cells of the immune system that are involved in
protecting the body against both infectious disease and pathogens. These cells are made in the bone
marrow and are generally larger than red blood cells. Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells contain a
nucleus and are either spherical or irregularly shaped. They consist of granulocytes, such as neutrophils,
basophils and eosinophils, and agranulocytes, such as lymphocytes and monocytes. In the experiment,
lymphocytes and phagocytes were observed in the slide. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that help
make up the immune system in the body. They consist of 25% of the white blood cells. There are two
types of lymphocytes: T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. T-lymphocytes activate B-lymphocytes which
produce antibodies. Phagocytes consist of 70% of white blood cells. These cells engulf pathogens by
forming a vacuole around them where they release enzymes to digest the pathogen. Once the pathogen
is in the vacuole, it cannot harm the phagocyte. A common type of phagocyte is a neutrophil. The
electron micrograph observed contained a ratio of red blood to white blood cells of 9:2.