2. 2
THE CONCEPT OF ‘RESPIRATION’ IS
CENTRAL TO ALL LIVING PROCESSES
It is worth while studying this presentation
thoroughly because it is essential for an
understanding of all the activities of living cells
and organisms
3. 3
All living cells are made up of chemical substances
The processes of living involve reactions between the
substances
A reaction is an event which produces a change in a
substance
For example, a reaction between carbon and oxygen
(such as burning coal in air) changes the carbon in the
coal, and oxygen in the air into carbon dioxide
This reaction can be represented by the equation
C + O2 CO2
carbon oxygen carbon dioxide
4. 4
an atom of carbon plus a molecule of oxygen
O2
c
C
o
o
combine to form a molecule of carbon dioxide
CO2
5. 5
The reaction between carbon and
oxygen also releases energy in the
form of heat and light (flames)
Living organisms get their energy from
reactions like this (but not reactions
which are violent enough to produce
flames)
6. 6
CO2
energy release
source of carbon source of
carbon
oxygen
7. 7
One of the energy-producing reactions is called
respiration
(Respiration is not the same thing as breathing)
The chemical reactions of respiration take place
in all living cells
The reaction takes place between oxygen and a
substance which contains carbon. The reaction
produces carbon dioxide and water, and releases
energy
8. 8
The carbon-containing substances come from
FOOD
The oxygen comes from the AIR (or water)
The energy is used to drive other chemical
reactions taking place in cells
One example of this is the release of energy in
muscle cells to make them contract and
produce movement
9. 9
One example of an energy-producing reaction in cells is
the breakdown of sugar when it combines with oxygen
This can be represented by the equation
C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy
sugar oxygen carbon water
(glucose) dioxide
This means that one molecule of sugar reacts with six
molecules of oxygen to produce six molecules of
carbon dioxide and six molecules of water.
Energy is released during this process
10. 10
Some examples of the use
muscle
of energy in organisms contraction
Respiration
supplies
the energy for
germination
chemical changes in cells cell division
11. Energy use in muscle contraction 11
shoulder blade
The blood stream brings food
and oxygen to the muscle
cells. Respiration occurs in
the cells and releases energy
which……
upper arm
bone
lower arm bones
13. food store 13
shoot
embryo
shoot
embryo
root
(b)
(a) is a section cut through the
length of a maize seedling. Areas (c)
of rapid respiration are stained pink.
(b) and (c) are drawings of the seed
and the seedling that grows from it. root
Can you suggest reasons why
respiration should be so rapid in the
stained regions? root
(a)
14. 14
Answer
The most intensely stained areas are in the root tip and the
shoot tip. These are regions where very rapid cell division is
taking place to produce growth. Making new cells and new
cytoplasm takes a great deal of energy.
You might also have noticed that, in the root, there are two
faint streaks of pink. These occur in the conducting tissue of
the seedling. Energy is needed to transport food from the
food store to the growing region.
15. 15
One example of respiration in ourselves
2. The lungs absorb oxygen
from the air 1. Air taken in
1.Food taken in
2.The stomach and
intestine digest food.
One of the products
3.The blood stream
is glucose
carries glucose and
oxygen to the muscles
4 RESPIRATION 5 Carbon dioxide
Glucose and is carried to the lungs
oxygen react to by the blood
produce energy for
muscle contraction
16. 16
Question 1
What is the most important point about
respiration?
(a) it uses oxygen
(b) It produces energy
(c) It produces carbon dioxide
(d) It needs food and air
17. 17
Question 2
In which part of the human body is respiration
most likely to be occurring?
(a) The lungs
(b) The heart
(c) The muscles
(d) All of these
18. 18
Question 3
Which of these are waste products of
respiration?
(a) Carbon dioxide
(b) Water
(c) Oxygen
(d) Nitrogen
19. 19
Question 4
Which of the following would be reliable indicators
of respiration in a living organism?
(a) Output of water vapour (H2O)
(b) Output of carbon dioxide (CO2)
(c) Uptake of oxygen (O2)
(d) Production of energy
20. 20
Question 5
Which of the following statements are
correct?
(a) We breathe in air
(b) We breathe in oxygen
(c) We breathe out air
(d) We breathe out carbon dioxide
24. 24
The process of respiration described so far has been defined
as the release of energy when foodstuffs such as glucose
react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
This form of respiration, which needs oxygen, is called
aerobic respiration.
There is another form of respiration which does not need
oxygen and is called anaerobic respiration.
In anaerobic respiration, glucose is still broken down to
carbon dioxide with the release of energy, but without the
involvement of oxygen
The glucose is not completely broken down to CO2 and H2O
but to CO2 and alcohol (ethanol).
25. 25
Anaerobic respiration can be represented by the
equation
energy
C6H12O6 2C2H5OH + 2CO2
glucose alcohol
The energy released by anaerobic respiration is considerably
less than the energy from aerobic respiration.
Anaerobic respiration takes place at some stage in the cells
of most living organisms.
For example, our own muscles resort to anaerobic
respiration when oxygen is not delivered to them fast
enough.
26. 26
Anaerobic respiration is widely used by many micro-organisms
such as bacteria and yeasts.
Bacteria and yeasts are microscopic single-celled organisms.
Bacteria are to be found everywhere, in or on organisms,
in water, air and soil
Yeasts are usually found in close association with
vegetable matter such as fruit
27. 27
Bacteria
cell wall
there are many
nucleus species of bacteria
and they have different
shapes and sizes
cytoplasm
0.002mm
a single bacterium
28. 28
Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria
Bacteria which need oxygen in order to respire are called
aerobic bacteria.
Aerobic bacteria are likely to be found in the air, water
and soil where oxygen is available
Bacteria which can respire without needing oxygen are
called anaerobic bacteria
Anaerobic bacteria are to be found in situations where
oxygen is lacking, such as in stagnant water, waterlogged
soils or the intestines of animals
29. 30
Fermentation
One form of anaerobic respiration in bacteria and yeasts
is called fermentation.
During fermentation, sugar is broken down to alcohol and
carbon dioxide
The reaction described in slide 25 is an example
of fermentation
Fermentation is involved in brewing and wine-making
31. 31
Wine making
Grapes are crushed and the sugar they contain is fermented
by yeasts to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide usually escapes but if the wine is
bottled before fermentation is complete, the carbon dioxide
dissolves and escapes as bubble when the bottle is opened
This is the case with ‘sparkling’ wines such as Champagne
Different varieties of grape produce different types of wine
33. 33
Brewing
In brewing beer, a sugary product (malt) is dissolved out
of germinating barley
Yeast is added to this solution and fermentation begins,
producing alcohol and carbon dioxide
Some of the carbon dioxide escapes but the rest
dissolves in the beer when it is bottled or put into casks
When the bottles or casks are opened, the dissolved
CO2 escapes as bubbles
35. 35
Baking
In baking, yeast is added to a mixture of flour and water,
made into the form of a dough
The yeast first changes the flour starch into sugar and then
ferments the sugar into alcohol and CO2
The CO2 forms bubbles in the dough which cause it to
expand (‘rise’)
When the dough is baked, the heat evaporates the
alcohol but makes the trapped bubbles expand giving the
bread a ‘light’ texture
36. Dough rising 36
The yeast is mixed
with the dough
After 1 hour in a warm
place the dough has
risen as a result of the
carbon dioxide
produced by the yeast
37. 37
The ‘holes’ in the
bread are made by
the carbon dioxide
bubbles.
This gives the
bread a ‘light’
texture
38. 38
Question 1
Which statements are correct ?
Anaerobic respiration is different from aerobic
respiration because
a it produces CO2
b it does not need glucose
c it does not need oxygen
d it produces less energy
39. 39
Question 2
In what circumstances do our muscle use anaerobic
respiration ?
a When insufficient glucose reaches the
muscles
b When the carbon dioxide level increases
c When insufficient oxygen reaches the
muscles
d When we are asleep
40. 40
Question 3
Anaerobic bacteria are most likely to be found
a in the middle of a compost heap
b in the air
c in fast-flowing streams
d on the surface of the skin
41. 41
Question 4
In which of the following is the production of CO 2
more important than the production of alcohol ?
a Brewing beer
b Fermenting grape juice
c Making bread
d Bottling wine
It is important to understand that the biological meaning of ‘Respiration’ refers to a chemical process taking place in all living cells. The function of this chemical process is to make energy available for all the cell’s activities which keep it alive. ‘ Breathing’, in some cases, plays a part but ‘respiration’ to a biologist does not mean the same as ‘breathing’.
Some of the energy released in living organisms always appears in the form of heat
Coal and wood are the carbon sources. The carbon dioxide goes up the chimney.
The word ‘respiration’ is used in everyday language to mean breathing; as in,for example, ‘respiration rate’ (breathing rate) or ‘artificial respiration’. In biology, it is best to avoid confusion by using the term ‘respiration’ for the chemical reaction in cells. ‘Artificial respiration’, is better described as ‘resuscitation’.
Organisms living in water absorb oxygen from it. But it is not the O of H 2 O that they use. The oxygen which they can use is dissolved in the water and comes, originally, from the air.
The carbon-containing substance in this case, is glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) but all food contains some carbon. Although the reaction is shown as if it takes place in one step, there are many more intermediate changes and the energy is released in stages, The progress of each step in controlled by chemicals called enzymes which are the subject of a separate presentation
These are only a few examples. Every living process in living organisms needs energy from respiration
The drawing represents the human arm bones with two of the muscles which produce movement (biceps and triceps)
The water produced as a waste product of respiration is picked up by the blood stream and may be lost in sweat, water vapour from the lungs or in urine
Respiration will be occurring in all parts of the human body that consists of living cells. Fingernails, toenails and hair do not contain living cells and so will not be respiring
Any wet or damp non-living material (e.g. a line full of washing) will be releasing water vapour.
Air is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and a small proportion of other gases. We cannot selectively breathe in only oxygen and breathe out only carbon dioxide. The lungs absorb oxygen from the air we breathe in and give out carbon dioxide. So the air we breathe out contains less oxygen and more carbon dioxide than the air we breathe in.
Anaerobic respiration is involved at some stage in the preparation of these foodstuffs
The vast majority of bacteria are harmless. Some are beneficial, such as those which bring about decay of dead remains. A very small proportion are harmful and cause disease in animals and plants.
Some bacteria can use both aerobic or anaerobic respiration according to the availability of oxygen, There are some anaerobic bacteria which cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.
Yeasts can be seen as a thin, greyish ‘bloom’ on the surface of grapes, but they are present on the surface of most fruits. When these fruits are crushed and mixed with water, the anaerobic respiration of the yeasts causes fermentation with the production of carbon dioxide and alcohol.
The carbon dioxide bubbles plus some of the beer constituents produce a dense froth on top of the beer. The fermentation vessel is an old-fashioned open type.