A group of giraffes feeds on leaves and grasses during the daytime. Right now, it is dark out and the giraffes are not eating. Is carbon dioxide moving into the living things, moving out of the living things, or both?

Question

Chemistry

Zechariah Potts

4 September, 01:05

A group of giraffes feeds on leaves and grasses during the daytime. Right now, it is dark out and the giraffes are not eating. Is carbon dioxide moving into the living things, moving out of the living things, or both?

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Answers (1)

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Melanie Golden · Answer 1

Carbon dioxide is moving out of the living things.

Explanation:

The food materials eaten by living things contain carbon in the form of complex organic matter. When living things feed, they ingest this complex organic material into their bodies.

During the process of digestion, this complex organic material is broken down to give glucose. Glucose is the energy molecule in living things. Excess glucose in the body is stored as glycogen.

During cellular respiration, glucose is broken down to release carbon dioxide. Hence, at night when the giraffe has stopped eating, cellular respiration continues to occur and carbon dioxide is released, that is, carbon dioxide continues to move out of living things at night.