Human Respiratory System

To understand the function of the Human Respiratory System, students need to first know about the list of organs involved in breathing and their primary role:

Nose (Nasal Cavity): which is lined with hair and mucus to filter the air from dust and dirt.

Pharynx: It is a passage behind the nasal chamber and serves as the common passageway for both air and food.

Larynx: Known as the soundbox as it houses the vocal cords, which generate sound.

Trachea: It is a long tube passing through the mid-thoracic cavity.

Bronchi: The trachea divides into left and right bronchi.

Lungs: sac-like structures that are covered by a double-layered membrane known as pleura.

Alveoli: The bronchioles terminate in balloon-like structures known as the alveoli.

Heart: inhaled oxygen diffuses into the pulmonary capillaries, binds to haemoglobin and is pumped through the bloodstream by the hearth.

Some critical features of the respiratory system in humans are:

It breaks down the glucose molecules in all the living cells and generates energy.

Oxygen is first inhaled through the lungs and nose, and then transported to various parts of the body, which is later used in the process of burning food particles in the body.

The glucose molecules generated earlier are then used for discharging energy in the form of ATP- (adenosine triphosphate).

Types of Respiration

Delving deeper into the process of respiration, respiration is divided into two types based on the usage of oxygen. Accordingly, the two types of respiration are aerobic and anaerobic type of respiration. Let’s get to know them one by one:

Aerobic Respiration

Aerobic respiration is the process of cellular respiration that utilizes oxygen to produce energy from food. Aerobic respiration is common among plants and animals as well as mammals, birds, and humans. While aerobic respiration can be easily explained as inhaling air that contains oxygen and exhaling air rich in carbon dioxide, there is a lot more that happens at a cellular level.

Anaerobic Respiration

The word Anaerobic means “without air”, which means that the Anaerobic respiration type of cellular respiration does not use oxygen to produce energy. Some types of living organisms might not have had enough oxygen in their ecosystem to respire, but they still need sources of energy to survive. Anaerobic respiration usually occurs in lower plants and microorganisms, and even in human beings in certain specific conditions.

Difference Between Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration

Students can understand both the different types of respiration through these points of difference:

Aerobic Respiration	Anaerobic Respiration
Oxygen is present during Aerobic respiration.	Oxygen is absent during Anaerobic respiration.
Gases are exchanged in this form of respiration.	There is no gaseous exchange in this form of respiration.
It can be observed in cytoplasm as well as mitochondria.	It can only be found in the cytoplasm.
In Aerobic respiration, glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water.	In Anaerobic respiration, glucose breaks down into ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and energy.

We hope that you understood everything about the Types of Respiration in this article. To watch 3D videos about Types of Respiration and other concepts for your curriculum, check out Embibe.

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Last Modified 29-03-2025

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Types of Respiration In The Human Respiration System

Human Respiratory System