RESPIRATION

By Aliya Rizvi 10A

What is respiration?
◦ Respiration is defined as the process by which energy is produced from food, mainly glucose.
◦ It is a chemical process that takes place in cells and involves action of enzymes
◦ It is important to note that respiration is not the same as ‘breathing’, which is also sometimes called respiration. To
make the difference clear, the chemical process in cells is sometimes called cellular respiration or internal respiration.
Why is Respiration Important?
Most processes taking place in cells need energy to make them happen.
For example:
◦ Contraction of muscles
◦ Building proteins
◦ Cell division
◦ Active transport
◦ Growth
◦ Conduction of electrical impulses
◦ Maintaining body temperature
Aerobic Respiration
◦ Aerobic respiration is the term for the chemical reactions in cells that use oxygen to break down nutrient molecules to release
energy.
◦ Aerobic means that oxygen is needed for this reaction. The process is called oxidation and food is said to be oxidized.
◦ The process of oxidation converts the carbon in the food molecules into carbon dioxide and turns the hydrogen in the food
molecules into water, which can be summed up by the equation:
Glucose + oxygen  carbon dioxide + water + energy
◦ The oxidation takes place in a series of small steps where each step has its own enzyme and releases a little energy
◦ Some of the energy always appears as heat. In warm blooded animals, the heat is used to help maintain the body temperature;
in cold blooded animals its used to
How to test whether
respiration is taking
place?
◦ A tissue or organism that is respiring should be using
up oxygen, so you can test the rate of respiration by
measuring the uptake of oxygen by setting up the
following apparatus to form a respirometer
◦ You should also set up a control experiment using the
same apparatus but replacing the germinating seeds
with glass beads or boiled seeds
◦ As a result, the liquid in the germinating seeds
experiment will move more than in the control set up,
which shows oxygen was produced and respiration
took place
Anaerobic Respiration
◦ Anaerobic respiration is the term for the chemical reactions in cells
that break down nutrient molecules to release energy without using
oxygen.
◦ An example of anaerobic respiration is the process of fermentation
where sugar solution is used to produce alcohol and energy with the
help of yeast
◦ Fermentation is most commonly used in the process of making
bread or brewing and it can be shown using the following word
equation:
Glucose  alcohol + carbon dioxide + 118 kJ energy
◦ Anaerobic respiration also takes place in muscle cells when oxygen
isnt being supplied fast enough but it is different from fermentation:
Glucose  lactic acid
If the lactic acid accumulates in the muscles it can cause fatigue and
cramps
Anaerobic & aerobic respiration summary
Aerobic Respiration Anaerobic respiration

Occurs in the presence of oxygen Occurs without the presence of oxygen

Produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy Produces carbon dioxide, alcohol, and energy or
lactic acid

Releases more energy per glucose molecule broken Less efficient since it gives less energy per glucose
down molecule broken down
THANK YOU
By Aliya Rizvi 10A