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The respiratory areas are controlled by changes in the concentrations of primarily carbon dioxide, and much less by oxygen levels. Carbon dioxide dissolves in water, forming carbonic acid, which ionizes, releasing H+ and lowering blood and tissue pH. The ( ) located in the ventral medulla oblongata respond(s) to increases in( ) in the brain tissue by increasing the rate and depth of breathing. Increased lung air exchange has the effect of ( ) H+ concentration and blood pH.
Remember what happens when you are physically very active? Increased muscle activity requires a lot of ATP energy, produced through glycolysis and the citric acid cycle (CAC). Your increased activities have the effect of ( ) the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. The waste product of decarboxylation and the CAC is carbon dioxide! More carbon dioxide in the blood has the effect of ( ) .
Without (Oxygen) as a final electron acceptor, much energy would not be captured. The processes using ( ) release over 90% of the available energy in food. Other respiratory processes result in the oxidation (loss of electrons and hydrogens) from the atoms of ( ) to form carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide, when it reacts with water, forms (CO2) which lowers the pH of the solution.