Describe the specialized characteristics of human red blood cells and explain how these characteristics help red blood cells to accomplish their function.
Biology · High School · Wed Jan 13 2021
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Answer: Red blood cells are the cells of our blood that transport oxygen. Made in the bone marrow, these cells are completely specialized to move oxygen between the lungs and the body.
The adaptations of a red blood cell are small size, flexible shape, and lack of organelles. Red blood cells are one of the smallest cells in the body. They are designed this way so they can fit through the smallest blood vessels, called capillaries. Their flexible shape also allows them to squeeze through these tiny tubes to deliver oxygen to all the tissues in the body.
Red blood cells also are unique in that they do not have organelles at maturity. They lack a nucleus, mitochondria, and even ribosomes. All of the real estate in red blood cells is devoted to hemoglobin, the protein that binds oxygen. In this way, red blood cells are completely specialized for oxygen transport.