When an individual's serum pH begins to fall below 7.35, the mechanism that responds instantaneously to return the serum pH to normal level is
a. ammonia gas combining with H+.
b. excretion of acid by the lungs.
c. plasma bicarbonate buffering the acid.
d. secretion of hydrogen ions (H+) by the kidneys.
C
Blood buffers constitute the body's first line of defense against acid-base imbalance.
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