PRESIDIUM INDIRAPURAM

Students Handout-2
GRADE X (BIOLOGY)
CHAPTER: LIFE PROCESSES
TOPIC: RESPIRATION IN HUMAN BEINGS

The process of releasing energy from food is called Respiration.

Thus the process of respiraton involves taking in oxygen from the atmosphere and using it for
oxidation of assimilated food (simplest form of food as a result of digestion such as glucose,
amino acids & fatty acid) to release energy which is stored in the form of ATP and is used for
carrying out all the life process which are necessary to keep the organism alive and also
elimination of waste product from the body.
Respiration can be summarised as :
 Intake of O2 from surrounding.
 Oxidation of assimilated food.
 Release of Energy and storage in the fot.rm of ATP.
 Elimination of CO2 produced as by product.

Respiration involves two Aspects.

1) Breathing or Physiological Respiration

2) Cellular Respiration,

Difference Between Breathing and cellular respiration.

S.N CELLULAR RESPIRATION BREATHING

o
1. It is Biochemical process It is a Physical process
2. Both extracellular and intracellular Only Extracellular
3. Enzyme action is involved No enzyme involved
4. Energy is released No energy is released
5. All body cells are involved Only certain organs are involved

CELLULAR RESPIRATION

Cellular respiration is the process of biochemical oxidation of assimilated nutrients in the

presence of specific enzymes at an optimum temperature and pH in the mitochondria of the
cell to release energy for various metabolic activities.

Types of Cellular Respiration

1.Aerobic respiration
2.Anaerobic respiration

Aerobic Cellular Respiration

 It takes place in the presence of oxygen.

 It produces more energy.
 The end products are carbon dioxide, water and energy. It takes place in most organisms.
 In aerobic respiration glucose is converted into pyruvate in the cytoplasm in the
presence of oxygen and then in the presence of oxygen, pyruvate is converted into
carbon dioxide, water and energy in the mitochondria.

presence of oxygen presence of oxygen

Glucose Pyruvate CO2 + H2O +
Energy
cytoplasm in mitochondria

Anaerobic Cellular Respiration

It takes place in the absence of oxygen. It produces less energy. The end products are lactic
acid or ethanol, carbon dioxide, and energy. It takes place in muscle cells and yeast.

 In anaerobic respiration in muscle cells, glucose is converted into pyruvate and in

the absence of oxygen pyruvate is converted into lactic acid and energy.
absence of oxygen absence of oxygen
Glucose pyruvate Lactic acid + Energy
in cytoplasm in muscle cells

 In anaerobic respiration in yeast, glucose is converted into pyruvate and in the

absence of oxygen pyruvate is converted into ethanol, carbondioxide and energy. This
process is called fermentation.

absence of oxygen absence of oxygen

Glucose Pyruvate Ethanol + CO2 +
Energy
in cytoplasm in yeast

BREAKDOWN OF GLUCOSE BY VARIOUS PATHWAYS

presence
of oxygen
CO2 +
H2O + Energy
(in mitochondria)

presence absence
of oxygen of oxygen
Glucose Pyruvate Lactic
acid + Energy
in cytoplasm + (in muscle
 absence
of oxygen
Ethanol
FATE OF ENERGY
+ CO2 + Energy
The energy released during respiration is used to make ATP molecules (Adenosine tri
phosphate) from ADP molecules (Adenosine di phosphate)(in and
yeast)
inorganic phosphate.ATP is
used to fuel all activities in the cell.
Energy
ADP + Phosphate ATP
from respiration
Energy is stored in the cells in the form of ATP molecules. When the cells need energy,
ATP is broken down in the presence of water to form ADP and energy is released.
water
ATP ADP + Energy

Respiration in plants

• It takes place in all parts of a plant like root, stem and leaf.
• Exchange of gases in root take place by the process of diffusion, when oxygen
diffuses into the root hair and passes into root cell, from where carbon dioxide moves
out into the soil.
• In leaves respiration also takes place by diffusion of gases through stomata, CO2
and O2 are exchanged by diffusion here.

Direction of diffusion depends on environmental conditions and requirements of plants.

• Nightà No photosynthesis occursà CO2 is released to air.

• Day àCO2 used by plants à Photosynthesis à No CO2 released to air. O2 is released.

Respiration in Animals

Respiration in animals takes place with the help of some specific respiratory organs which
differ in different animal group according to their habitat.

 Aquatic animals like fish prawns and mussels have gills as respiratory organs.
 Frogs breaths both by skin and lungs.
 Insects like grasshopper, housefly or cockroach have airtubes or trachea as their
respiratory organ.
 Land animal like lizards,birds,human have lungs for respiration.
 Respiration in Humans

Organs of Respiratory system

 The main organs of the respiratory system are nostrils, nasal cavity, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs and diaphragm.

 This kind of respiration where lungs are the main organ of respiration is called as
Pulmonary respiration.
 The nose is the first part of the respiratory system. It consists of a pair of
openings called nostrils,which open into the nasal cavity.
 Respiratory system communicates with the outside atmosphere through external
nostrils which draw air into nasal cavity. The air passing through the nostrils is
filtered by fine hair that lie in the passage so that air going into the body is free
from dust and other impurities. They are also lined with mucous memberane
which has mucus gland which secrete mucus which also help in trapping dust and
microbes.
 The nasal cavity open into the internal nostrils through which air enters the
pharynx.
 The pharynx is a muscular chamber acting as a common passage for the
windpipe or trachea and the food pipe or oesophagus.
 It is connected to the larynx through a slit-like opening called the glottis. A
cartilaginous flap called epiglottis acts as a lid over the glottis and prevents the
entry of food inside the larynx.
 The larynx, also called the voice-box or Adam's apple, is a hollow,
cartilaginous structure located at the beginning of the windpipe. The larynx
contain two vocal cords which vibrate when air passes through them. The
vibration is converted into speech with the help of palate, buccal cavity,tounge
and lips. The larynx connects the pharynx to the trachea.
  The trachea or windpipe begins from the larynx, situated below in the neck and
enters the thoracic cavity.
 The walls of the trachea are strengthened by several C-shaped rings of cartilage,
to protect the trachea from collapsing even when there is not much air in it.
 In the thoracic cavity, the trachea divides into two branches or tubes called
bronchi, one of which enters the right lung and the other enters the left lung. The
bronchi have cartilaginous rings for distention and prevent their collapse.
 These two tubes enter into two elastic, spongy and conical lungs which are
enclosed in double walled sac called pleura.
 The bronchi within lungs, branch into smaller tubes called bronchioles which are
devoid of cartilaginous ring; and each bronchiole open into many thin walled
ballon like structure called alveoli.
 Alveoli have thin and moist walls which enable gaseous diffusion. A thin layer of
water or fluid covering the surface of the alveoli dissolves oxygen from the air.
The alveoli helps to increase the surface area for the exchange of gases.
 Capillaries surround the walls of the alveoli. The capillaries bring blood rich in
carbon dioxide from the rest of the body for gaseous exchange in the alveoli.
After oxygen in the alveoli is taken up by the blood, the capillaries send the blood
to all the cells of the body.
 The diaphragm is a curved, musculo-fibrous sheath which separates the thoracic
cavity from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm plays a major role during
respiration. The intercostal muscles found between the ribs and the radial muscles
of the diaphragm bring about the breathing movements.

Mechanism of Breathing

Breathing is a complex mechanical process involving muscular movement that alters the
volume of the thoracic cavity and thereby that of the lungs.

 Breathing occurs involuntarily but its rate is controlled by the respiratory centre of the
brain.
 The inhalation and exhalation of the air take place continuously in the respiratory
system.
 Inhalation is concerned with the taking in of atmospheric air or oxygen into the
thoracic cavity. It is brought about by the contraction of diaphragm with the help of
phrenic muscles. As a result of contraction the volume of thoracic cavity increases
and the air pressure decreases, hence air from outside (being at high pressure) rushes
into the lung. External intercostals muscles which are attached to the ribcage contract
and pushes the ribcage in outward and upward direction which also helps in
increasing volume and lowering the pressure for inhalation.
 Exhalation is concerned with the expelling of carbon dioxide from lungs. It takes
place by the relaxation of diaphragm which is caused by relaxtion of phrenic
muscles and intercostals muscles. Due to relaxation, the diaphragm moves upwards.
This causes the volume of thoracic cavity to decreases and the air pressure to
increases, as a result of which air containing CO 2 is pushed out of the lung into the
atmosphere through nostril.
Gaseous Exchange in Alveoli

 Deoxygenated blood is brought from the heart into the lungs through the pulmonary
artery. The pulmonary artery divides into fine capillaries, which surround the alveoli.
 CO2 diffuses into the alveolar cavity because of its higher concentration in blood.
 The concentration of oxygen in the alveolar air is more than the concentration of
oxygen in the blood capillaries surrounding the alveoli. Hence, oxygen from the
alveolar air moves into the blood capillaries by the process of diffusion and combines
with haemoglobin of RBC to form oxyhaemoglobin to be transported throughout the
body.
 The exchange of gas occurs through the thin walls of the capillaries.

Gaseous Exchange in Tissues

 In the cells, continuous metabolism of glucose and other substance results in the
production of CO2, and utilisation of O2.
 The concentration of O2 in the cell and tissue fluid decreases while the concentration
of CO2 is higher than in the capillaries.
 Therefore, Oxyhaemoglobin breaks down releasing O2 which diffuses out from the
capillaries into the tissue fluid and then into each and every cell.