Cellular Respiration

Syllabus Objectives
State that respiration takes place at the level of the
cell

Describe the process of aerobic respiration

State the function of ATP (adeosine triphosphate) in

energy transfer

Distinguish between aerobic and anaerobic respiration

Carry out and interpret results from simple controlled

investigations to demonstrate the products of
respiration
 Introduction
Definition
Process living organisms undergo to release energy from
food (substrate)

The energy released is used to carry out all metabolic

activities in living organisms

Respiration involves several steps controlled by enzymes

There are TWO main types of respiration:

AEROBIC
ANAEROBIC
 AEROBIC Respiration
Glucose is oxidized in many small steps to form
carbon dioxide, water and energy.

The important energy releasing steps take place in the

mitochondria

The energy is stored temporarily in ATP molecules

The energy is readily available for use when required
in this form
 AEROBIC Respiration
Equation
The overall equation can be summarized as follows:

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Energy

glucose + oxygen carbon + water +

ATP

dioxide
 AEROBIC Respiration
Summary:
Glucose (or fat) is used as a substrate to provide energy
Energy is released in slow, controlled process
The energy released is temporarily stored in ATP
Oxygen is used in the process
Carbon dioxide and water are released
ANAEROBIC Respiration
The food (sugar) is only partly oxidized producing a little
energy

In animals that respire anaerobically the sugar is broken down

to form LACTIC ACID and energy
No CO2 is given off

In plants and yeast (a fungus) the sugar is converted into

ETHANOL (alcohol), carbon dioxide and energy.

There are microscopic organisms that are Anaerobes

They can live without oxygen

Larger organisms can survive for short periods without oxygen

ANAEROBIC Respiration
During strenuous exercise, mammalian
muscle cells can respire anaerobically
for a short time
Lactic acid accumulates in the cells
causing fatigue
Lactic acid is toxic in large quantities
and must be broken down before the
cells can function normally again
ANAEROBIC Respiration
The temporary shortage of oxygen results
in an OXYGEN DEBT
Extra oxygen is required to break down
the lactic acid to carbon dioxide and water.
Heavy breathing which continues after
vigorous exercise is necessary to pay back
the oxygen debt
 ANAEROBIC Respiration
Equation
The overall equation can be summarized as follows:

Plants and yeasts

carbon dioxide + ethyl alcohol + energy

(ATP)

glucose

lactic acid + energy (ATP)

Animals
ANAEROBIC Respiration
Summary:

The events taking place in anaerobic respiration are

the same as the first steps in aerobic respiration.
During anaerobic respiration:
No oxygen is used
Little energy is produced
Alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced by plants and
yeast
Only lactic acid is produced by animals
 ATP
The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecule has
three phosphate groups.

The 3rd phosphate in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is

easily removed to form adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

Energy is released during that reaction

The ATP molecule stores energy temporarily and

transfers it to the other reactions when necessary
 Energy Transfer Equation
ATP ADP + P + Energy

The ADP formed by that reaction is used to make more ATP

ADP + P + energy from respiration ATP

 The table below shows the amounts of lactic acid in
the blood of a man who exercised vigorously for ten
minutes.

Lactic Acid Concentration in the Blood of an Exercising

Man
Time/minutes Lactic acid conc./mg per 100
cm3
0 20

10 80

14 97

19 90

30 70

57 40
(a) Draw a graph to show how the lactic acid concentration
changed. 7

(b) By how much did the lactic acid increase during the period
of exercise? 1

(c) How do you account for the rise in lactic acid concentration
during the first ten minutes after the start of the exercise? 3

(d) Suggest why it continued to rise for a short time after the
exercise ended. 2

(e) State TWO factors that should be kept constant if this

method is to be used to compare results from several different
persons. 2

15 marks