Think of respiration as ‘cellular respiration,’ which is the process by which the body extracts energy from glucose molecules. Breathing is the mechanism of the lungs that brings oxygen into the body and expels carbon dioxide
Respiration is a vital way for the cells of plants and animals to obtain and utilize energy. Without this energy, cells in the bodies of plants and animals would fail to function and will eventually break down and die. The breaking down of sugar into energy and storing it in ATP is the key to the survival of living organisms.
The formation of ATP involves two different processes, cellular respiration and fermentation. The reactions to these processes are controlled by enzymes and involve the loss and gain of electrons.
Cellular respiration takes place in the cells of organisms using metabolic reactions and processes to convert biochemical energy from the nutrients they absorbed into ATP or adenosine triphosphate and to release waste products.
The energy derived from nutrients like sugar, amino and fatty acids, an electron acceptor which can be oxygen (used by aerobic organisms) or other inorganic donors like sulfur, metal ions, methane, or hydrogen (used by anaerobic organisms) are stored in ATP and used for biosynthesis, locomotion and to transport molecules in cell membranes.
Cellular respiration can be aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic respiration requires oxygen to generate ATP and plants and animals use this in utilizing the energy they received.
