A scientist observed that during the course of a chemical reaction in a tissue culture of animal muscle cells, the number of ATP molecules produced was greatly reduced. What did the scientist most likely hypothesize from the observation? a oxygen availability became limited b oxygen availability increased c carbon dioxide availability increased d carbon dioxide availability became limited

Answer 1

From the observation that the number of ATP molecules produced was greatly reduced during the chemical reaction in the tissue culture of animal muscle cells, the scientist most likely hypothesized that a) oxygen availability became limited.

Oxygen is crucial for aerobic respiration, which produces a significant amount of ATP. If oxygen availability is limited, the cells would resort to anaerobic processes, which generate far fewer ATP molecules compared to aerobic respiration. Thus, a reduction in ATP production would suggest a limitation in oxygen availability.