Final answer:
Blood maintains homeostasis with a temperature of 38°C, a pH range of 7.35 to 7.45, and a volume of about 5 liters in adult males. Its composition includes plasma, red and white blood cells, and platelets, facilitating transportation, regulation, and protection within the body.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristics of blood are essential for its role in maintaining homeostasis within the human body. One of the key characteristics of blood is its temperature, which is typically slightly warmer than the body's overall temperature, averaging at about 38°C (100.4°F). The pH of blood is tightly regulated between 7.35 and 7.45, with an average of 7.4. This regulation is crucial since even a slight deviation from this range can affect the body's overall function. Blood's volume in an adult male is approximately 5 liters, which is indicative of the total volume including plasma and blood cells such as erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells), and platelets.
Blood is composed of a liquid fraction called plasma, which contains various substances including coagulation factors and antibodies, and cellular components like erythrocytes, which carry oxygen via hemoglobin, leukocytes, which are involved in immune responses, and platelets, which are key in blood clotting. The ability of blood to carry oxygen and its bright red color when oxygenated are due to hemoglobin, a pigment in erythrocytes that changes color based on oxygen saturation. Aside from its critical role in oxygen transportation, blood is essential for delivering nutrients and hormones throughout the body, regulating temperature, protecting against infections, and removing waste products.