Name: Meg
Status: student
Grade: 6-8
Location: KY
Country: USA
Date: Winter 2011-2012
Question:
All cells need oxygen. That is a common fact. So then where do white blood cells get theirs?
Replies:
The oxygen for white blood cells comes from the blood, just as it does
for other tissues. Oxygen is transported from the lungs to red blood
cells, and as the red blood cells move through the blood, they supply
the white blood cells with oxygen.
br>
Diffusion is the primary mechanism that drives this oxygen transport
-- as the white blood cell converts O2 to CO2, it establishes a
concentration gradient between the blood (high O2) and the interior of
the white blood cell (low O2). This concentration gradient drives
oxygent transport.
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.