BTEC Applied Science: Respiration in humans Unit 10 Assignment 2

Assignment 2

Unit 8: Biological molecules and metabolic pathways

B: Understand the effect of activity on respiration in humans and
factors that can affect respiratory pathways


Respiration in humans

Your metabolism refers to thousands of chemical reactions
that take place in your body cells, these reactions can be
catabolic (reactions that involve the breakdown of a
molecule) or anabolic (reactions that produce a molecule).

Respiration is a process in living organisms involved in the
production of energy, typically with the intake of oxygen and
the release of carbon dioxide. In a single day, a person uses
the equivalent of their own body weight in chemical energy,
this chemical energy is the end product of respiration and
we rely on it to keep our cells alive. This energy must be
produced all the time to be used by cells.
ATP is the molecule produced in respiration and acts as a
store of chemical energy, it is able to be released when it is
needed by cells for processes such as muscle contraction and
enzyme-catalysed reactions.
ATP consists of ribose, adenine and three phosphate group.


Adenine



Phosphate groups


Ribose