What is breathing?

The term "breathing" concerns two separate processes that occur in living things and are related to generating energy. One of them is physiological breathing, the process by which the body takes oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide. The second is cellular breathing, a number of biochemical reactions that allow cells to generate energy.

physiological breathing

There are four phases of this process in humans and other mammals and draw the progress of oxygen from inhalation into the lungs to absorb internal organs and other tissues. It also covers carbon dioxide exhalation.

Ventilation

The first phase is the ventilation in which the air moves inside and out of the alveoli of the lungs. These are fibrous collagen structures that spread during inhalation to make maximum amount of oxygen; After exhale, carbon dioxide is downloaded and released. Alveoli are present only in mammal lungs; However, simillatures exist in other vertebrates such as reptiles and birds.

Lynu

At this stage, oxygen from alveoli enters into the circulatory system through lung capillaries. Alveoli and pulmonary capillaries are separated by the barrier only two strong cells; Once this barrier, oxygen molecules bind to hemoglobin, special protein, in red blood cells.

gas transport

gas transport begins in lung capillaries. In this step, oxygen is tied to hemoglobin moves the blood vessels of the circulatory system and eventually enters the capillaries throughout the body. The capillaries feed organs, glands and other tissues that need to function a constant supply of oxygen.

Peripheral gas exchange

The last phase is the replacement of peripheral gas in which oxygen moves from Capillaries to cells. This happens similarly to the way in which the diffusion gases between alveoli and pulmonary capillaries in the lungs. Waste gases such as carbon dioxide, eliminating cellI, enter the capillaries and move even when the circulatory system is released during the exhalation.

Other physiological systems

Breathing is not exclusive to lung organisms. For example, in most fish species, it occurs in gills that allow animals to extract oxygen from water. For amphibians, most gas exchange occurs through the skin; The lungs provide a means to control the body oxygen levels by acting as a secondary oxygen source. Plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis and take over more diffusion through their leaves. Regardless of the physical process, all these organisms take oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide as well as mammals.

cell breathing

oxygen that is brought to tissues through physiological respiraturation is used in all cells for the biochemical process of cellular breathing. This process, which is also referred to as oxidative metabolism, is a set of chemical reactions, many involving oxygen that allow the bodyconvert certain molecules to usable energy. In animal and plant cells there are reactions that convert nutrients into an energy -rich molecule called adenosinriptosphate (ATP).

oxygen is necessary for cellular breathing, because there are many reactions of oxidation, also called redox reactions during the respiratory process. This gas is a powerful oxidation agent, which means that in chemical reactions it can easily provide its available electrons. This makes it very useful in reactions.

reactions that occur are also referred to as catabolic because they disrupt large nutrient molecules to smaller ones. These molecules are sugars that come from carbohydrates; diet fat fatty acids; and amino acids derived from protein. Electrons are released when nutrients have disintegrated and electrons are used in responses that produce, etc. This energy -rich molecule is then used in cells to power almost all reactions that occur in them.

Anaerthey enable cell breathing

In animals and plants, as well as many bacterial species, the type of cellular breathing that occurs, aerobic, which simply means that uses oxygen. In some bacteria species, breathing is anaerobic, which means that it does not use oxygen. Instead, these organisms use molecules such as nitrate or sulfur. Some have even developed to a point where they can only live in an environment without oxygen.