What is Respiration?

Respiration is one of an essential and metabolic process, which is carried out by all living organisms for their survival. Breathing is an integral part of the respiration process.

Respiration is the process through which nutrients we eat are converted into useful energy. The produced energy is used for various cellular functions.  In cells, cellular respiration is the pathway of yielding energy, which occurs in three steps: glycolysis pathway, Krebs’ cycle, and electron transport system.

We, humans, have developed a complex respiratory system comprising different organs for breathing in oxygen and breathing out the carbon dioxide. The human respiratory system consists of the nose, nasal chambers, pharynx, larynx, epiglottis, trachea, bronchioles, alveoli and lungs.

Facts on Respiration

Here are a few interesting facts about the respiration

Facts-No-1

Breathing loses lots of water from our body. We lose about 12oz. of water through respiration.

Facts-No-2

Breaths slowly help in increasing our lifespan. An average person breathes 20,000 times a day. The rate of breathing is faster in children and women than in men.

Facts-No-3

The more we breathe, the hungrier we feel and therefore the body becomes acidic. Our appetite depends on our style of breathing.

Facts-No-4

During respiration, we inhale a very little amount of oxygen. The composition of oxygen in the air is 21 per cent but our bodies need only 5 percent of it.

Facts-No-5

The right lung is bigger than the left lung and the total size of both the lungs’ alveoli size is similar to the size of a tennis court.

Facts-No-6

In the breathing process, breathing in or inhaling is much stronger than breathing out or exhaling as the air which we breathe in is filtered in four-stage and is followed by our nose. Therefore, it is preferred to breathe through the nose than from the mouth.

Facts-No-7

In eukaryotes, the cellular respiration reactions take place within the mitochondria, which is called the powerhouse of the cell as it stores energy in the form of ATP- Adenosine Triphosphate.

Facts-No-8

In prokaryotes the complete process of cellular respiration takes place within the plasma membrane, also referred to as the fluid mosaic model is responsible, as these calls lack well-developed cellular organelles.

Conclusion

All living organisms, including eukaryotes and prokaryotes organisms, get their energy required for the metabolic process through cellular respiration.

These were some interesting facts about the respiration process.

 For more detailed information on respiration, their stages, types and significance, visit our website at BYJU’S. Students can also learn easily and interactively by watching YouTube videos on various topics by subscribing to BYJU’S YouTube channel.