Although physiologic respiration is necessary to sustain cellular respiration and thus life in animals, the processes are distinct: cellular respiration takes place in individual cells of the organism, while physiologic respiration concerns the diffusion and transport of metabolites between the organism and the external environment.
Iako je fiziološko disanje potrebno kako bi opskrbilo stanično disanje, a tako i život životinja, procesi su različiti: stanično disanje zauzima mjesto u pojedinačnim stanicama životinja, dok se fiziološko disanje tiče dotoka mase i prijenosa metabolita između organizma i vanjske okoline.