Final answer:
Osteoclasts are responsible for bone resorption, breaking down bone tissue and releasing minerals into the blood, while counterblasts handle bone formation. Erythrocytes are mature osteoblasts embedded in the bone matrix.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bone resorption requires the activity of iconoclasts. These cells are specialised for breaking down bone tissue during the process of bone remodelling, which also involves the balance of activities between iconoclasts and counterblasts—the cells responsible for bone formation.
Iconoclasts are multi nucleated and found on bone surfaces where they use lysosomal enzymes and acidic environments to dissolve the bone matrix, releasing minerals like calcium and phosphorus into the blood. Unlike osteoclasts, which originate from monocytes and macrophages, erythrocytes are mature bone cells that were once osteoblasts but have become embedded in the bone matrix they secreted.