RESPIRATION IN By: Teyas Chakraborty

ORGANISMS Date: 18/08/2021

INTRODUCTION
• All living organisms need energy to do work.
• Energy is required to perform various functions of life such as nutrition, excretion,
growth, movement, transportation and reproduction. Without energy, organisms
cannot do any work.
• The energy, comes from the food we eat.
• Respiration is the process which converts energy stored in food into a form which the
body can use.
 RESPIRATION
The process of oxidation of food into carbon dioxide and water to produce energy is called
respiration.
On the basis of presence of oxygen respiration is of two types :
✓ Aerobic respiration : When break-down of glucose occurs with the use of O2 , it is called
aerobic respiration. In this process there is complete breakdown of food, so maximum
production of energy.
Glucose →Carbon-dioxide + water + energy. (in presence of oxygen)
✓Anaerobic respiration :When breakdown of glucose occurs in lack or limited supply of O2 is
called anaerobic respiration.
Glucose → Alcohol + CO2 + energy. (in absence of oxygen)
During heavy exercise, when the supply of oxygen to our muscle cell is insufficient, food
breakdown occurs by anaerobic respiration.
Glucose → Lactic acid + energy ( in absence of oxygen)
 TYPES OF RESPIRATION
There are two types of respiration – aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
✓Aerobic Respiration :When the breakdown of food substances (like glucose) takes place in the
presence of oxygen with the release of a large amount of energy, it is called aerobic respiration.
In this process, carbon dioxide and water are released as waste products. The overall equation for
aerobic respiration is:
Food + Oxygen → Energy + Carbon dioxide + Water
Most animals including humans and green plants respire aerobically.
✓Anaerobic Respiration : Anaerobic respiration is the breakdown of food substances with the release of
a small amount of energy in the absence of oxygen. It occurs in certain organisms like yeast and some
bacteria. These organisms are called anaerobes.
In the absence of oxygen, glucose breaks down into alcohol and carbon dioxide with the release of
comparatively less energy.
The equation for anaerobic respiration is:
Food (glucose) → Energy +Alcohol + Carbon dioxide (occurs in absence of oxygen.)
 AEROBIC RESPIRATION IN HUMAN
BEING
• Aerobic respiration is more efficient than anaerobic one, as more energy is produced during aerobic
respiration.
• Anaerobic respiration in humans can take place only for a short time. It takes place in our muscles when
our body undergoes vigorous muscular activity during heavy exercise or fast running.
Muscular cramps may develop as a result of heavy exercise or fast running.
• When muscle cells respire anaerobically, there is a partial breakdown of glucose and lactic acid is
produced, accumulation of lactic acid causes muscle cramps.
Food (glucose)→ Lactic Acid + Energy ( in muscle cell in the absence of oxygen)
• Relief from muscle cramps can be obtained bay hot water bath or a massage.
• Circulation of blood in the body is improved by these acts. As a result, the supply of oxygen to the
muscles increases.
• Increase in supply of oxygen brings about complete breakdown of lactic acid into carbon dioxide and
water.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AEROBIC AND
ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION
 BREATHING
• Exchange of gases or taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide with the help of
respiratory organs is called breathing.
The taking in of air rich in oxygen is called inhalation and giving out CO2 rich air is called
exhalation.
• It is a continuous process which goes on all the time and throughout the life of an organism.
• The number of times a person breathes in a minute is called the breathing rate.
• Normal breathing of adult human beings at rest is about 15-18 per min. But it can change
according to requirement of O2 by the body.
During heavy exercise, the breathing rate can increase up to 25 times per minute and also we
take deep breaths to inhale more oxygen.
•As a result more oxygen is supplied to our cells.So speeds up the breakdown of food and
more energy is released.
That is the cause we feel hungry after a physical activity
 HUMAN RESPIRATION SYSTEM
In humans, several organs take part in the process of respiration. These different
organs together form the respiratory system.
Organs of the Respiratory System:
-Nostrils
- Nasal cavity or passage
- Windpipe (trachea)
- Bronchi (singular bronchus)
- Lungs
 Continue…
Air enters our body through the nostrils.
From the nostrils, the air containing oxygen is taken into the nasal cavity.
From here it goes down the windpipe or trachea, from trachea it goes to two smaller tubes
called bronchi(Singular bronchus). One bronchus enters each lung.
Inside the lungs, each bronchus divides repeatedly into a large number of small branches
called the bronchioles.
Each bronchiole ends in a number of air sacs known as alveoli (singular alveolus).
The walls of the alveoli have a large number of very thin blood capillaries.
Lungs are present in the chest cavity. This cavity is surrounded by ribs on the sides.
Ribs form a cage-like structure called the rib cage.
A large muscular sheet called diaphragm forms the floor of the chest cavity. Breathing
involves the movement of the diaphragm and the rib cage.
 MECHANISM OF BREATHING IN HUMANS
BEINGS
During inhalation:
-Ribs move up and outwards and diaphragm moves
down.
-Its movement increases space in our chest cavity and air
rushes into the lungs.
-The lungs get filled with air and exchange of gases take
place by the process of difference in alveoli.
During exhalation:
-Ribs move down and inwards, while diaphragm moves
up to its former position.
-This reduces the size of the chest cavity and air is pushed
out of the lungs.
TO SHOW THAT CARBON DIOXIDE IS
GIVEN OUT DURING BREATHING:
To show that carbon dioxide is given out during breathing:
- Take a test tube with freshly prepared lime water [Ca(OH)2 ].
- With the help of a plastic straw dipped in the lime water,
breathe out into the test tube a few times.
- The lime water turns milky (due to the formation of CaCO3 ) .
- This shows that carbon dioxide is present in the exhaled air.
TO SHOW THAT EXHALED AIR
CONTAINS WATER VAPOUR
- Stand in front of a clean mirror.
- Breathe out some air from your mouth on the mirror.
- The mirror becomes cloudy.
- Sometimes even water droplets maybe seen on the mirror.
- This activity shows that exhaled air contains water vapour.
RESPIRATION IN INSECTS
•A cockroach has small openings on the sides of its
body. Other insects also have similar openings.
These openings are called spiracles.
•Insects have a network of air tubes called
tracheae for gas exchange. This type of respiration
is called tracheal respiration.
•Oxygen rich air rushes through spiracles into the
tracheal tubes, diffuses into the body tissue, and
reaches every cell of the body.
Similarly, carbon dioxide from the cells goes into
the tracheal tubes and moves out through
spiracles.
RESPIRATION IN EARTHWORM
•Earthworms breathe through their skin. This is called
cutaneous respiration.
•The skin of an earthworm feels moist and slimy on
touching.
•Gases can easily pass through them.
•Though frogs have pair of lungs like human beings,
they can also breathe through their skin, which is
moist and slippery by the process of diffusion.
 BREATHING UNDER WATER
•Gills in fish help them to use oxygen dissolved in
water.
•Gills are projections of the skin.
•Gills help in breathing.
•Gills are well supplied with blood vessels for
exchange of gases.
• But breathing in water is quite difficult as water is
dense and having less dissolved oxygen than air.
 DO PLANTSALSO RESPIRE?
Plants take in oxygen from the air and give out carbon
dioxide.
In the cells oxygen is used to break down glucose into
carbon dioxide and water as in other organisms.
• In plants each part can independently take in oxygen
from the air and give out carbon dioxide.
• The leaves of the plants have tiny pores called stomata
for exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• Like all other living cells of the plants, the root cells also
need oxygen to generate energy.
• Roots take up air from the air spaces present between
the soil particles with the help of root hairs.
Lenticels in old stems and general surface of roots help in
respiration.
THE END