TEACHER ; MR GEORGE APIDI

RESPIRATION
AEROBIC RESPIRATION
 Aerobic Respiration

• The source of the energy required to regenerate ATP is the chemical energy stored in food (e.g. glucose).

• The cellular process of releasing energy from food through a series of enzyme-controlled reactions is called respiration. Some of
the energy released is used to produce ATP.

• Some of the energy released is lost as heat.

• Mammals need to release heat energy from food to keep their body temperature close to the optimum operating temperature for
their enzymes. .

• Respiration involves a number of chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules, such as glucose, in living cells to
release energy.
 Aerobic Respiration

 In aerobic respiration, oxygen is used in the breakdown of glucose:

glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy released

 Aerobic Respiration Balanced equation

• Respiration takes place in all living cells all of the time

because cells need a constant supply of energy to stay alive.
• The balanced chemical equation for aerobic respiration is:
 Using energy

 Your body needs energy for many different things. Energy is used in the following processes:
i. Muscle contraction
ii. Cell division
iii. Absorption of nutrients in the gut by active transport.
iv. Sending impulses along nerves
v. Protein synthesis for making enzymes, some hormones and antibodies
vi. Making new cell membranes and cell structures like the nucleus during growth
vii. Keeping the body temperature constant. Some of the energy released is in the form of heat.
 KEY POINTS

1. In aerobic respiration, glucose is broken down to release energy in the

presence of oxygen, forming carbon dioxide and water.
2. Respiration involves the action of enzymes to catalyse reactions in cells.
3. The word equation for aerobic respiration is:
glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
4. The balanced chemical equation for aerobic respiration is:

5. Respirometers can be used to measure the rate of respiration under

different conditions
 Anaerobic Respiration

 It is possible to release energy from glucose without using oxygen.

 Anaerobic respiration is the release of a little energy from each molecule of glucose in the absence of oxygen.

 During strenuous exercise, not enough oxygen may reach the body muscles for aerobic respiration to supply all the
energy the muscles need.

 Muscle tissue respires anaerobically to release energy. Most of the enzyme-catalysed reactions of aerobic respiration
do not happen without oxygen. As a result the glucose is not broken down to carbon dioxide and water, but to lactic
acid instead:
glucose → lactic acid + energy released
 Anaerobic Respiration
• Other tissues, such as cardiac muscle in the heart, do not normally respire
anaerobically as this would not release enough energy to keep the heart beating
properly.
• Some bacteria also respire anaerobically to make lactic acid in the same way,
for example those that we use to make yoghurt.

Glucose → Lactic acid + Energy released

 Anaerobic Respiration in Yeast

• Other microorganisms, such as yeast, respire anaerobically when

oxygen is absent or in short supply in their surroundings, to make alcohol
and carbon dioxide:
glucose → alcohol + carbon dioxide + energy released

• Plant roots respire anaerobically when land is flooded and soils

become saturated with water so little or no oxygen is available
Comparison of Aerobic & Anaerobic Respiration

Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration

 KEY POINTS

1. Anaerobic respiration is the chemical reaction in cells that break down glucose to release energy
without using oxygen.

2. In anaerobic respiration, glucose is broken down to release energy in the absence of oxygen,
forming lactic acid in muscle tissue, or alcohol, plus carbon dioxide in yeast and plants.

3. Far more energy is released from each molecule of glucose in aerobic than in anaerobic
respiration.

4. The build up of lactic acid in muscles during hard exercise produces an oxygen debt that has to be
paid back by breathing in extra oxygen
 SUMMARY QUESTIONS
1. Define the term anaerobic respiration

2. Give two examples of anaerobic respiration.

3. Compare the energy released from a molecule of glucose during aerobic and anaerobic
respiration.

4. Describe and explain the differences between the energy released in aerobic and anaerobic
respiration.

5. Explain why we carry on breathing heavily after we finish a session of hard exercise.

6. Explain how an oxygen debt develops and how it is repaid.