Biology Project:-
Respiration is a metabolic process by which an
organism obtains energy (in the form of ATP and
NADPH) by oxidizing nutrients and releasing waste
products. Although physiologic respiration is necessary
to sustain cellular respiration and thus life in animals,
the processes are distinct: cellular respiration takes
place in individual cells of the organism, while
physiologic respiration concerns the diffusion and
transport of metabolites between the organism and
the external environment.
Respiration in plants:-
Plants do require oxygen to respire, the process in
return gives out carbon dioxide. Unlike humans and
animals, plants do not possess any specialized
structures for exchange of gases, however, they do
possess stomata (found in leaves) and lenticels (found
in stems) actively involved in the gaseous exchange.
Leaves, stems and plant roots respire at a low pace
compared to humans and animals.
Types of Respiration:-
Aerobic means “with air”. Therefore, aerobic
respiration is the process of cellular respiration that
uses oxygen to produce energy from food. This type of
respiration is common in most plants and animals,
including humans, birds and other mammals. While
breathing, we inhale air that contains oxygen and we
exhale air rich in carbon dioxide. As we breathe in, the
oxygen-rich air is transported to all the parts of our
body and ultimately to each cell. Inside the cell, the
food, which contains glucose, is broken down into
carbon dioxide and water with the help of oxygen. The
process of breaking down the food particles releases
energy, which is then utilized by our body. The energy
released via aerobic respiration helps plants and
animals, including us, grow.
Reaction:
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy
Anaerobic respiration:-
Anaerobic means “without air”. Therefore, this type of
cellular respiration does not use oxygen to produce
energy. Sometimes there is not enough oxygen around
for some organisms to respire, but they still need the
energy to survive. Due to lack of oxygen, they carry
out respiration in the absence of oxygen to produce
the energy they require, which is referred to as
anaerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration usually
occurs in lower plants and microorganisms. In the
absence of oxygen, the glucose derived from food is
broken down into alcohol and carbon dioxide along
with the production of energy.
Reaction:
Glucose → Alcohol + Carbon dioxide + Energy
Fermentation:
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces
chemical changes in organic substrates through the
action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly
defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates
in the absence of oxygen. In food production, it may
more broadly refer to any process in which the activity
of microorganisms brings about a desirable change to a
foodstuff or beverage. The science of fermentation is
known as zymology.
Mechanism and site of respiration:
There are two major steps in the mechanism of
respiration in plants:
Glycolysis:
The conversion of glucose into pyruvic acid involving a
series of enzymatic reactions in the process of
respiration in plants. These reactions take place in the
cytosol. These series of reactions is glycolysis.
Glucose > (enzymatic action) > Pyruvic acid
Kreb's cycle:
Kerb's cycle involves the process of conversion of
pyruvic acid into carbon dioxide, water and energy. The
pyruvic acid formed after the process of glycolysis
moves into mitochondria. At this place, several
enzymes catalyse the reactions and there is formation
of CO2 and water. This series of enzymatic reactions is
Krebs cycle.
Pyruvic Acid > (enzymatic action inside mitochondria) >
CO2 + Water
Exchange of Gases:
In plants, the exchange of gases takes place through
stomata. Each of the stomata is surrounded by two
guard cells, and these cells contain chloroplasts. A
respiratory opening is found under each stoma, and
the process of opening and closing of stomata depends
on the presence of sugar and starch in the guard cells.
In the daylight, the guard cells of the stomata contain
sugar synthesized by the chloroplasts present in them.
The sugar is soluble, and it increases the concentration
of the sap present in the guard cells. As the
concentration becomes higher, the water from the
neighbouring cells comes into the guard cell by
osmosis, and they become turgid. Because of this, the
stomata remain open.
In the absence of light, the sugar present in the guard
cells converts into starch. The starch is insoluble, and
thus the sap of the guard cells remains of much lower
concentration than the neighbouring cells, and these
cells take out the water from the guard cells by
osmosis, making the stomata stay closed.
Need of Respiration in living world:-
For the maintenance of every bio-chemical
process, an organism needs energy and this energy
comes from respiration.
The carbon dioxide removed during respiration is
used directly or indirectly in photosynthesis and
carbohydrate is formed. This prepared food saves
the lives of whole living world.
Respiration plays a significant role in the
absorption of mineral salts. The decrease of the
rate of respiration reduces the rate of absorption
and growth and other bio-chemical process are
also hampered.
The effect of respiration also influences the cell
division. The required energy for the cell division is
provided by respiration. It is one of the
requirements for living things because it is the
process where organisms exchange oxygen and
carbon dioxide.
Experiment to demonstrate aerobic respiration:
A few germinating seeds or flower-buds are put in a
flask with a cork at the mouth. Care must be taken to
remove all the green parts from the flower-buds,
otherwise the CO2, liberated will be at once utilised in
photosynthesis.
A glass tube is fitted through the cork.
Now one or two sticks of caustic potash are introduced
into the flask. Two cotton plugs are put to keep the
flower-buds and the caustic potash sticks in position.
The flask with the tube is inverted over a trough of
mercury, thus cutting off connection with external air.
It is fixed in position with clamp and stand.
After a few hours it is noted that the
mercury has risen in the tube covering nearly one-fifth
of the total volume. The volume of mercury risen can
at its maximum be one-fifth of the entire volume of the
flask, for O2 in the atmosphere is only about 20%.
It is due to the fact that carbon dioxide given
out during respiration has been absorbed by caustic
potash producing partial vacuum. Oxygen present in
the flask has been utilised for respiration. The gas that
remains in the flask is nitrogen.
We know that nearly one-fifth of the
volume of air is oxygen. So this experiment, besides
showing intake of oxygen and giving out of carbon
dioxide, also proven that volume of oxygen taken in is
almost equal to the volume of carbon dioxide given
out.
