Respiration

Respiration is the oxidation of food that releases energy in the form ATP. As this process is
taking place .inside the cell, it is cellular respiration.

Glucose + oxygen carbon dioxide+ water + energy

Uses of released energy:

 Nerve impulse transmission
 Muscle contraction
 Active transport of substances in gut and kidneys
 Production of enzymes
 Cell division, growth and reproduction
 Maintenance of a constant body temperature

Types of respiration
There are two types of cellular respiration
 Aerobic respiration
 Anaerobic respiration

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Gas Exchange System

6. Air passes through the nasal cavity, into the pharynx. The pharynx is the back of the
mouth and serves as a passageway for both air and food. When food is swallowed, a flap of
cartilage, called the epiglottis, presses down and covers the opening to the air passage.

7. From the pharynx, the air moves through the larynx and into the trachea, which leads
directly into the lungs.

8. These passageways provide a direct connection between the outside air and some of the
most delicate tissues in the body, and so these passageways must filter out dust, dirt, smoke,
bacteria, and a variety of other contaminants found in air.

9. Preliminary cleaning takes place in the nose, where air is:

A. Cleaned of large particles (dust, insects) B. Warmed C. Moistened before it passes on

into the rest of the respiratory system.

10. The trachea, bronchi and bronchioles are lined with cilia and kept moist by mucus
secretions. The combination of cilia and mucus filters out solid particles from the air and
warms and moistens the air, preventing damage to the delicate tissues that form the lungs.

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 THE MECHANISM OF BREATHING

1. Breathing is the movement of air into and out of the lungs – we normally
breathe 10-15 times per minute. Each breathing cycle involves two stages:
A. Inhalation - or inspiration - is when the lungs expand and air is pulled
into them.
B. Exhalation - or expiration – is when the lungs reduce in volume and
air leaves the lungs.

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4. Since the concentration of the gases in the blood and the alveoli are not equal, there is a
concentration gradient which causes the diffusion of CO 2 from the blood to the alveolar air
and of O2 from the alveolar air into the blood.

5. The blood leaving the alveoli (in the pulmonary vein) has almost tripled the oxygen it
carried when it arrived in the lungs (in the pulmonary artery).

6. Two molecules help the process of gas exchange become more efficient:

A. Surfactants – these soap-like molecules, consisting of phospholipid and protein, coat the
inner surface of the alveoli and reduce surface tension. Without them, the alveolar walls
would stick together, making breathing very difficult.

B. Haemoglobin – the red oxygen-carrying molecule that fills RBC’s. Each haemoglobin
molecule has four oxygen-binding sites. Most of the oxygen in blood - 97 percent – is
combined with haemoglobin.

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