Is respiration a physical or chemical change?

Why do the Respiration Rate of Goldfish Change Under Differnt Temperature?

• Goldfish which is under the cold water temp. have a lower respiration rate compare to the one in the water of room temp. Why? Please explain to me for both 1.) Physiological reason 2.) Chemical reason Thanks a lot!

• Answer:

  1) Physiological: Goldfish are a cold-blooded creature, as such their biological processes are under the control of external forces (the temperature). 2) Chemical: Most chemical processes occur faster at higher temperatures than they do at lower ones, especially the ones dealing with metabilization. In this case, they are metabolizing their food at a faster rate at higher temperature, so need to respire faster. They are also far more active at the higher temperature, again, because they can metabolize their food faster. This is what gives us warm-blooded types a survival advantage: by generating our own heat internally, we can remain active when the cold-blooded ones are sluggish and torpid.