Respiration

• Cellular respiration is a process that all organisms undergo in order to release energy to fuel their living processes.
• Respiration can be aerobic, which uses glucose and oxygen, or anaerobic which uses only glucose.
• Anaerobic respiration is the response to exercise.
• Oxygen debt and the liver are topics related to anaerobic respiration.
• Metabolism is the process of cellular respiration, which releases energy.
• Respiration releases energy, making it an exothermic process.
• A reaction in which energy is given out to the surroundings is exothermic.
• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, and some bacteria, synthesise food molecules, which they then use, in addition to other things, for respiration.
• The process of photosynthesis requires energy, making it endothermic.
• Don't confuse respiration with photosynthesis, as they are different processes.
• Respiration happens in cells.
• All organisms need energy to live, which is used to drive the chemical reactions needed to keep organisms alive and to build complex carbohydrates.
• Carbohydrates are vital for energy in humans and are stored as fat if eaten in excess.
• In plants, carbohydrates are important for photosynthesis.
• Proteins are one of the three main food groups and are needed by the body for cell growth and repair.
• Lipids are composed of fatty acids and glycerol and are a type of fat or oil.
• Photosynthesis is a chemical process used by plants to make glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water, using light energy.
• Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis.
• Algae subsumed within plants and some bacteria are also photosynthetic.
• In plants, the products of digestion require energy movement, which in plants is needed for transport of substances in the phloem.
• In animals, energy is needed to make muscles contract, while in plants, it is needed for transport of substances in the phloem.
• Respiration is only around 40 per cent efficient.
• As animals respire, heat is also released.
• In birds and mammals, this heat is distributed around the body by the blood, keeping these animals warm and helping to maintain a constant internal temperature.
• Energy is also used for cell division to maintain constant conditions in cells and the body, a process known as homeostasis.
• Homeostasis is the maintenance of steady conditions, the ability of the body to maintain a constant internal environment, such as temperature and blood glucose concentration.
• Energy is also used for the transmission of nerve impulses.