blood
40.2 | Components of the Blood By the end of this section, you will be able to: List the basic components of the blood Compare red and white blood cells Describe blood plasma and serum Hemoglobin is responsible for distributing oxygen, and to a lesser extent, carbon dioxide, throughout the circulatory systems of humans, vertebrates, and many invertebrates. The blood is more than the proteins, though. Blood is actually a term used to describe the liquid that moves through the vessels and includes plasma the liquid portion, which contains water, proteins, salts, lipids, and glucose and the cells red and white cells and cell fragments called platelets. Blood plasma is actually the dominant component of blood and contains the water, proteins, electrolytes, lipids, and glucose. The cells are responsible for carrying the gases red cells and immune the response white . The platelets are responsible for blood clotting. Interstitial fluid that surrounds cells is separate from the blood, but in hemolymph, they are combined. In humans, cellular components make up approximately 45 percent of the blood and the liquid plasma 55 percent. Blood is 20 percent of a persons extracellular fluid and eight percent of weight.