Bohr Effect on Hemoglobin Oxygen Binding

Steps:

• Increased CO2 concentration lowers blood pH via carbonic acid formation.
• Lower pH triggers the Bohr effect, shifting the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve to the right.
• Rightward shift decreases hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen.
• This reduces oxygen uptake efficiency in lungs but enhances release in tissues.

Why B is correct:

• The Bohr effect defines how elevated CO2 decreases hemoglobin's oxygen affinity, impairing uptake while facilitating release to meet tissue demands.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: CO2 does not impair both uptake and release; it specifically aids release.
• C: CO2 decreases, not increases, uptake efficiency.
• D: CO2 reduces uptake efficiency, not enhances it.

Final answer: B