222 Animal Physiology

(1) Respiration: Transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide is the fundamental function of the
blood. Transport of oxygen from the lungs to different tissues, and the transport of carbon
dioxide from the tissues to lungs is mainly effected by the blood.
(2) Transport of food materials: Blood is the only medium by means of which the absorbed food
materials are transported to various parts of the body.
(3) Excretion: Metabolic wastes like urea, uric acid, creatine, water, carbon dioxide, etc., are
transported by blood, to kidneys, lungs, skin and intestine for removal.
(4) Regulation of body temperature: The blood has an important role in the regulation of body
temperature by distributing heat throughout the body. This heat is generated in the muscles by
the oxidation of carbohydrates and fats.
(5) Maintenance of acid-base balance: The blood has buffering capacity and maintains normal
acid-base balance in the body.
(6) Regulation of water balance: Blood serves to maintain water balance in the body by
exchanging water between the blood and the tissue fluid.
(7) Defense: Blood affords protection to the body against infections and the antibodies.
(8) Transport of hormones: Blood is the only medium which serves to distribute hormones to
different parts of the body.
(9) Clotting: Loss of blood from the body through injury is prevented by the action of
thrombocytes of the blood.
(10) Transport of metabolites: Blood is responsible for the supply of chemicals and essential
metabolites.

11.3 GENERAL PROPERTIES OF BLOOD

COLOUR: Colour of the blood is generally red which depends on the nature of the haemoglobin, a
red pigment within red corpuscles. The venous blood has less redness and more blueness as compared
to the arterial blood which is oxygenated.
Blood is a liquid tissue mainly consisting of the plasma and the blood corpuscles floating in it.
Normally in a healthy person total blood volume varies from 6 to 8 per cent of the body weight.
About two-thirds of the total blood is plasma and one-third is the corpuscles. The volume of blood in
human body is about 8 per cent of the body weight. Thus, if a man weighs 80 kg, his body would
normally contain about 6.4 kg of blood.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: Specific gravity of the blood largely depends upon the number of red cells.
The specific gravity of normal blood is 1.06, but may vary from 1.05 to 1.06.
OSMOTIC PRESSURE: Osmotic pressure of the blood is about 28 mm of mercury. This osmotic
pressure is due to the presence of various salts, waste substances, proteins, and sugars dissolved in the
plasma.
THE PH: The pH of the blood is about 7.35, that is, it is a weak alkaline solution. Blood has a
self-buffering capacity and the pH is maintained well within limits. A pH of 8 or much below 7 would
be fatal for an individual.