alleryStart learning →Mature erythrocytes lack mitochondria. What is the functional consequence?
AThey use none of the oxygen they carry
BThey cannot change shape in capillaries
CThey cannot bind carbon dioxide at all
DThey must be replaced every four days
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. They use none of the oxygen they carry
1. Aerobic respiration happens in mitochondria and consumes oxygen.
2. A mature erythrocyte has extruded its mitochondria along with its nucleus.
3. It therefore relies on anaerobic respiration and consumes none of the oxygen it is carrying.
4. Every oxygen molecule loaded at the lungs is available for delivery to the tissues, which is the point of the adaptation.
5. Shape change is preserved, not lost, because structural proteins such as spectrin remain, so that option is false.
6. Carbon dioxide still binds to the amino acids of hemoglobin to form carbaminohemoglobin, so that option is false too.
7. The 120 day lifespan is unaffected by the mitochondrial loss in the way that option suggests.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 18 "The Cardiovascular System: Blood", section 18.3 Erythrocytes_
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