During an experiment on aerobic cellular respiration, a biologist limits the amount of phosphorus available to a cell culture. How might this affect the cell?

Responses

The amount of cellular energy would decrease.

The amount of cellular energy would decrease.

The amount of cellular energy would increase.

The amount of cellular energy would increase.

The amount of glucose produced would increase.

The amount of glucose produced would increase.

The amount of glucose produced would decrease.

1 answer

Limiting the amount of phosphorus available to a cell culture would primarily affect the production of ATP, which is a key energy currency in aerobic cellular respiration. Phosphorus is an essential component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), as it is part of the phosphate groups that make up ATP molecules.

Given this limitation, the most appropriate response would be:

The amount of cellular energy would decrease.

This is because a limited supply of phosphorus would hinder the synthesis of ATP, consequently reducing the overall energy available to the cell for various metabolic processes.