Respiration (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Respiration

What is respiration?

• Respiration and photosynthesis can be described as processes with inputs, outputs, and transformations of energy and matter

• Respiration is the conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy

• Aerobic respiration can be simply described as: glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

Aerobic respiration

• Inputs: organic matter (glucose) and oxygen

• Processes: oxidation processes inside cells

• Outputs: release of energy for work and heat

• Transformations: stored chemical energy is transformed into kinetic energy and heat

• During respiration, large amounts of energy are dissipated as heat, increasing the entropy in the ecosystem while enabling the organisms to maintain relatively low entropy/high organisation