Final answer:
The cell with a dark, irregular, lobulated nucleus and colorless or pale pink-orange cytoplasm is a neutrophil. Neutrophils are granulocytes that serve as first responders in the immune system and can be identified by their distinct lobed nucleus and light lilac-staining granules. Option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
A cell that can be identified by its dark, irregular, lobulated nucleus and colorless or pale pink-orange cytoplasm is a neutrophil. Neutrophils are a type of granulocyte, a category of white blood cells characterized by having granular inclusions in their cytoplasm and a distinctly lobed nucleus. They play a vital role in the body's defense system as first responders to infection or injury.
A neutrophil's nucleus usually has two to five lobes, and the number can increase as the cell ages. These cells are occasionally called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) or 'polys' due to their lobed nuclei. The granules within a neutrophil are small and stain light lilac. In contrast, other granulocytes like eosinophils and basophils have larger granules that stain reddish-orange and dark blue to purple, respectively, with distinctive nuclei shapes.
In the context of the given options, the correct answer to which cell is identified by a dark, irregular, lobulated nucleus and colorless or pale pink-orange cytoplasm is a. Neutrophil.