Final answer:
Oxygen is transported by binding to hemoglobin and transported to body tissues, while carbon dioxide is transported by dissolving in plasma, binding to hemoglobin, and converting to bicarbonate ion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transport of Oxygen in the Blood:
Oxygen is bound to the protein hemoglobin in red blood cells and transported to body tissues. Hemoglobin has a higher affinity for oxygen at high partial pressures of oxygen, allowing it to pick up oxygen in the lungs and release it in tissues where the oxygen partial pressure is lower.
Transport of Carbon Dioxide in the Blood:
Carbon dioxide is transported in three ways. Some carbon dioxide molecules dissolve in the blood plasma, some bind to hemoglobin, and the majority is converted to bicarbonate ion (HCO3-) in red blood cells, then transported in plasma.