Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Human Gas Exchange
Aerobic Respiration
What is Aerobic Respiration?
The chemical breakdown of nutrient molecules using oxygen, releasing energy inside living cells. Glucose reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water, and energy is released for processes such as muscle contraction, active transport, growth and the maintenance of body temperature. Aerobic respiration takes place in the cells of the body and not in the lungs. When a person exercises, the muscle cells respire faster, so they take up oxygen from the blood more quickly and release carbon dioxide into it more quickly; the resulting changes in the blood lead to faster and deeper breathing, which supplies the extra oxygen and removes the extra carbon dioxide.
This definition is part of the Human Gas Exchange chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.