Respirometer and Oxygen Uptake¶
Use this interactive to load organisms into a sealed respirometer model, vary the temperature, and watch capillary fluid move as aerobic respiration uses oxygen. It is most useful for visualising why fluid rises only when carbon dioxide is removed from the sealed chamber.
The model treats the specimens as using oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide inside a sealed tube. Potassium hydroxide absorbs the carbon dioxide, so the remaining fall in gas volume lowers the pressure in that chamber. Atmospheric pressure on the open side then pushes the fluid up the capillary, so the movement shown here is a simplified model of oxygen uptake.
What This Simulation Does Not Show¶
- The rate of fluid movement is generated from a simplified model rather than from measured gas volumes from real organisms.
- Potassium hydroxide is treated as absorbing carbon dioxide completely and immediately, so the remaining volume change reflects oxygen uptake only.
- The named course practical focuses on evidence of respiration from carbon dioxide and heat. This model is mainly for visualising sealed-chamber oxygen uptake during aerobic respiration.