/sci/ - Science & Math

>>9524416
The purpose of breathing is to get an electron acceptor to maintain an ion gradient within the mitochondria to produce more energy through the breakdown of NADH and FADH2 formed during the Krebs cycle. I guess that having more oxygen allows larger animals because more energy can be made and thus more cells can be maintained? If this is the case, then the blue whale may just require less energy than the dinosaurs -implying a lower metabolism or less expended energy. This makes some sense given that less energy needs to be used in a whale compared to a dinosaur because it doesn't need to to say- stand upright, as it lives underwater.

This is just a theory, however.