Question

Discuss “The respiratory pathway is an amphibolic pathway”.

Answer 1

Respiration is the process by which gas exchange happens in an organism. The gas exchange occurs between organisms' cells and the surrounding air.

Complete answer:
Let us look into respiration first, it is a process by which the living cells in an organism can produce energy by taking in oxygen and exhaling out carbon dioxide. It is a metabolic process which occurs in all living organisms.
The process of taking in air through the nose is known as inspiration and it requires energy and the process of taking out air is known as expiration and it does not require energy.

The pathway through which respiration occurs is known as respiratory pathway. Respiratory pathway is an amphibolic pathway as,

The process involves both catabolism and anabolism
A process is known as anabolic pathway when large molecules are constructed from smaller units. >Respiratory pathway is anabolic because sugars are built using small molecules
A process is known as catabolic when larger molecules are broken down into simpler molecules in order to generate energy. In respiratory pathway,
Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose
Proteins are broken down into amino acids
Fats are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol

Thus, for the following reasons the respiratory pathway is an amphibolic pathway.

Note: There are three phases in respiration,

Glycolysis - In this glucose is converted to pyruvic acid and two molecules of ATP are produced.
Oxidative phosphorylation -Two ATP molecules are formed as a result of transfer of electrons from NADH.
Citric acid cycle - Also known as Krebs cycle, and in this molecule ATP is produced.