GSCE Biology - Respiration

Where does respiration take place?

1. Breathing system

Oxygen is inhaled into the body and diffused through the voila into the red blood cells

2. Digestive system

Enzymes break down carbohydrates into small glucose molecules which are transported around the body in the circulatory system

3. Digestive system

This system transports oxygen and glucose to different organs to carry out respiration

In GCSE biology, we should learn more than that!

• The chemical reactions take place inside cells controlled by enzymes
• Aerobic respiration is mainly carried out inside the mitochondria
• This is commonly known as the powerhouse of the cells because this is where the energy from aerobic respiration is released
• Cells which require/use large amounts of energy such as muscle cells have lots of mitochondria in the cytoplasm

Aerobic Respiration

6CO₂ + C₆H₁₂O₆ ---> 6H₂O + 6CO₂ + 38 ATP

• Within this equation for aerobic respiration, water and carbon dioxide are the waste products
• Many organ systems in the body have a range of functions.Some of these systems work together such as oxygen systems involved in respiration
• Aerobic respirations take place continuously in both plants and animals

What is the energy used for?

The energy released from respiration is used for 4 main functions:

• Building up small molecules into complex structures
• Muscle contractions (movements)
• Thermoregulation (keeping the body the same temperature)
• Active transport (the movement of substances against the concentration gradient)

Anaerobic respiration

Glucose ---> Lactic Acid + Energy

• Anaerobic respiration occurs when there is a short supply of oxygen
• It allows the body to release energy in some cells when no oxygen is available
• Lactic acid is toxic and damages muscles if it is not removed quickly

Oxygen dept

The recovery period is when our body brings back oxygen concentrations to normal, this oxygen is used to break down the lactic acid which has built up from anaerobic respiration. 

Glucose -> lactic acid + energy + oxygen ---> carbon dioxide + water

That's the end of today's topic!

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Drafted by Yoshi (Biology)

Reference:

1. https://biologydictionary.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Animal-mitochondrion-diagram.jpg