Question
Which molecule made by plants is the major source of energy for cellular respiration for both plants and animals? How is the energy stored and released?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The major source of energy for cellular respiration in both plants and animals is glucose. Glucose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) that is produced by plants during photosynthesis.
### How Energy is Stored:
1. **Chemical Bonds**: The energy in glucose is stored in the form of chemical potential energy within its molecular bonds. Specifically, the C-H (carbon-hydrogen) and C-C (carbon-carbon) bonds in glucose contain energy that can be released when these bonds are broken.
### How Energy is Released:
1. **Cellular Respiration**: During cellular respiration, glucose undergoes a series of biochemical reactions to release its stored energy. This process typically occurs in three main stages:
- **Glycolysis**: This occurs in the cytoplasm and breaks down one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH.
- **Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle)**: This takes place in the mitochondria and further processes the pyruvate, generating more NADH and FADHâ‚‚, along with some ATP and releasing carbon dioxide as a waste product.
- **Electron Transport Chain**: Also located in the mitochondria, this stage uses the electrons from NADH and FADHâ‚‚ to create a proton gradient that drives the synthesis of a larger amount of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
2. **ATP Production**: The main form of energy currency within cells is ATP. During cellular respiration, the energy from glucose is ultimately transferred to ATP molecules, which can then be used by the cell to perform work, such as muscle contraction, active transport, and other metabolic processes.
In summary, glucose from plants serves as the primary energy source for cellular respiration in both plants and animals, providing energy through chemical transformations that ultimately yield ATP.
### How Energy is Stored:
1. **Chemical Bonds**: The energy in glucose is stored in the form of chemical potential energy within its molecular bonds. Specifically, the C-H (carbon-hydrogen) and C-C (carbon-carbon) bonds in glucose contain energy that can be released when these bonds are broken.
### How Energy is Released:
1. **Cellular Respiration**: During cellular respiration, glucose undergoes a series of biochemical reactions to release its stored energy. This process typically occurs in three main stages:
- **Glycolysis**: This occurs in the cytoplasm and breaks down one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH.
- **Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle)**: This takes place in the mitochondria and further processes the pyruvate, generating more NADH and FADHâ‚‚, along with some ATP and releasing carbon dioxide as a waste product.
- **Electron Transport Chain**: Also located in the mitochondria, this stage uses the electrons from NADH and FADHâ‚‚ to create a proton gradient that drives the synthesis of a larger amount of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
2. **ATP Production**: The main form of energy currency within cells is ATP. During cellular respiration, the energy from glucose is ultimately transferred to ATP molecules, which can then be used by the cell to perform work, such as muscle contraction, active transport, and other metabolic processes.
In summary, glucose from plants serves as the primary energy source for cellular respiration in both plants and animals, providing energy through chemical transformations that ultimately yield ATP.