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What Are Two Structural and Two Functional Differences Between Erythrocytes and Leukocytes?

Between seven and eight percent of the total of weight of a human is blood, an essential fluid that circulates throughout the body and is composed of over 3,000 components. The four most common types of structures in blood are red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets. Although erythrocytes, red blood cells, and leukocytes, white blood cells, live together in blood vessels, they are extremely different in structure and function.

Hemoglobin
- One main structural difference between erythrocytes and leukocytes is the existence of hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein that makes up 95 percent of a red blood cell's structure. Erythrocytes in men generally have anywhere between 13.8 and 17.2 grams of hemoglobin per deciliter. Hemoglobin ranges between 12.1 and 15.1 grams per deciliter in women. The body must keep hemoglobin levels in balance. If hemoglobin concentration becomes low, conditions such as anemia and malnutrition can occur. Excessive hemoglobin amounts can result in dehydration and certain heart diseases.
Nucleus
- The cells of humans generally contain an organelle known as the nucleus. This organelle exists at the center of the cell and serves as the cell's main center of information processing and administration. The nucleus essentially controls all of the cell's function. It also controls the cell's reproductive information, or DNA. All white blood cells have a nucleus at their center. Red blood cells, on the other hand, do not have a nucleus.
Primary Purpose
- Red blood cells are responsible for using their hemoglobin to carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues of the body. When red blood cells reach a target tissue, they exchange oxygen for toxic carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is then brought back to the lungs, where it is exhaled. While white blood cells exist in blood vessels with red blood cells, they have no responsibility for carrying oxygen. Instead, they are primarily responsible for fighting disease. They will fight any substances considered foreign by the body. Viruses, bacteria and fungi are consistently removed from the body by white blood cells. Successful removal of foreign bodies prevents infection.
Aging
- Red and white blood cells age at much different rates. Both are produced from stem cells in bone marrow. After being produced, however, red blood cells have lifetimes as long as four months. After four months, they are sent to the body's spleen, where they are broken down; the components are sent to various parts of the body, where they are made into new cells or excreted. White blood cells, in contrast, rarely live longer than 36 hours.

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