Arun
Last Activity: 6 Years ago
Respiration is a chain of chemical reactions that cause the breakdown of glucose (or other respiratory substrate,in absence of glucose) to release energy in the form of ATP.
Now,in animals,after glucose is assimilated in cells,glycolysis occurs in cytoplasm,the final product of which is pyruvate,that is carried over to mitochondria for forming Acetyl CoA,followed by Krebs's cycle and the electron transport system.
Glycolysis,requires a bunch of enzymes,but not oxygen,while Krebs's cycle also needs a bunch of enzymes,in addition to oxygen.
The basic difference between plant and animal respiration would be the procurement of glucose and oxygen (for Krebs's cycle).
Animals obtain their glucose,by breakdown of carbohydrates in diet,while plants photosynthesize their glucose.
Again,animals obtain oxygen by breathing air,while plants release oxygen,as a by-product of photosynthesis.
Note: At times,animals,especially humans have anaerobic respiration occurring in their muscle cells,which forms lactic acid accumulation,also known as “Muscle fatigue”.This type of respiration is absent in plants.
These,are possibly the only differences between plant and animal respiration,from the biochemical point of view.