Respiration

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 Releasing energy

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Aerobic respiration
All living organisms need a constant supply of energy.
This is because all life processes use energy.

Glucose is an important substance that contains stored

chemical energy. When glucose reacts with oxygen,
energy is released.

This reaction is called aerobic respiration. It takes

place continuously in plants and animals, and in
some micro-organisms.

Respiration is controlled by enzymes. Like other

enzyme-controlled reactions, it can be affected by
pH and temperature.

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What is respiration?
Aerobic respiration is the process of releasing energy
through the oxidation of glucose molecules.

carbon
glucose + oxygen  dioxide + water ( + energy)

The energy is transferred to small molecules called ATP,

which cells use as an immediate source of energy.

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Equation for aerobic respiration

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Cells and respiration

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How do cells get oxygen and energy?

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Respiration and the circulatory system

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How is energy used?
Cells use the ATP produced during respiration to do work.

Where might ATP be used?

 movement – enabling muscles

to contract

 thermoregulation in mammals
and birds

 biosynthesis – building new

molecules, cells and tissues

 active transport – moving molecules against a

concentration gradient.

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Building new molecules

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Respiration during exercise
During exercise several
changes occur:
 the heart rate increases

 the rate and depth of

breathing increases

 the arteries supplying

the muscles dilate.

These changes increase blood flow to the muscles, which

increases the supply of oxygen and glucose and removes
carbon dioxide more quickly.

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How does exercise affect heart rate?

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Heart calculations
Heart rate gives a measure of how healthy a person’s heart
is, but there are also two other important measurements:
 cardiac output is the volume of blood that is pumped by
the heart each minute
 stroke volume is the volume of blood pumped with
each heartbeat.

cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate

Andrew’s resting heart rate is 70 bpm and his stroke volume
is 60 ml. When he exercises, his heart rate increases to
140 bpm and his stroke volume increases to 120 ml.
What is the increase in his cardiac output in litres per minute?

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Testing for the products of respiration

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Respiration rate
Aerobic respiration uses oxygen and produces
carbon dioxide.

An increase in the rate of oxygen use and carbon

dioxide production indicates an increase in the overall
rate of respiration.

Measuring the rate of oxygen consumption can give an

estimate of the metabolic rate. This measure indicates
how quickly the body is using energy from respiration.

CO2 produced
respiratory quotient (RQ) =
O2 used

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Glossary

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Multiple-choice quiz

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