Question

What is the effect of temperature on respiration rates of non-warm blooded organisms?

What would raising the temperature to 100 degrees C do to respiration rates?

What sources of carbon work the best for high rates of metabolism? The worst? Why?

Answer 1

1. In non-warm blooded animals, body temperature is not maintained. Because of that change in the surrounding temperature will change the body temperature. Body temperature influences the metabolism. Because all enzymes are proteins and changes in temperature effect protein functions. At high temperature enzymes or proteins become denatured and stop working. so animal can't respire. At very low temperature also animal can't respire as the respiratory enzymes become inactive. So respiration can become very low or even stop respiring.

So as we gradually increase the temperature, respiratory rate will increase in the animal. Beyond certain limit the respiration rate will drastically decrease and may even stop.

2. At 100 C , no animal can respire. Because at that temperature enzymes will completely loose their 3-D structure and stop working as enzymes. So animal respiration completely stops and the animal will die

3. Proteins are very effective in increasing the metabolism. It is because, proteins will use more energy for digestion than other foods. Proteins are more difficult to digest than others.