The Process of Cellular Respiration
By, Miranda Uribe
What is Cellular Respiration?
Cellular Respiration is the chemical process that generates most of the energy in the cell, and supplies the molecules with the energy so they can make metabolic reactions. The main energy that will be harvested in this chemical reaction is ATP.
Step Zero
Once the process of photosynthesis comes to an end it doesn't stop there in the cell. The products of photosynthesis become the reactants in cellular respiration that are broken down to create ATP. All living organisms do this process of of cellular respiration in order to get energy.
Step One
In order to get this process going you need the reactants to make the product of energy. You need glucose and oxygen.
Step Two
In order to get the reactants, food must be consumed, digested, and broken down into molecules that can enter the bloodstream. These three tasks must be preformed by heterotrophs before cellular respiration can occur.
Consumption
The bunny (heterotroph) is eating the carrot.
Digestion
Food gets digested in the digestive system.
Molecules enter bloodstream
Enzymes break up large food particles, and the molecules from that food enter the bloodstream.
Cellular Respiration begins
In this first step the cytoplasm is the holding tank where the glucose is broken down into smaller molecules. This is the first step in cellular respiration, also called Glycolysis. Glycolysis is the literal breakdown of glucose.
Glucose Breakdown
Cytoplasm
Where the first step occurs.
Glucose
Krebs Cycle
In Glycolysis we get very little energy. Only 2 ATP molecules are yielded from that whole ten step process. With the Krebs cycle most of the energy for the cell is made in only eight steps. This process takes places in the mitochondria and uses oxygen to create carbon dioxide and water as waste products and result in energy.
Krebs Cycle
The whole process in a simple picture.
Mitochondria
Where the process takes place.
Carbon Dioxide
Waste product.
Water
Waste product
Oxygen
Used in the Krebs cycle.
ATP
34 of these are made in this cycle.
Electron Transport Chain
This is the very last step in the production of energy for one cell. This step produces the most amount ATP.
Types of respiration
In the beginning we talked about how there was cellular respiration. There are actually two kinds of respiration, Aerobic and Anaerobic respiration.
Cellular Respiration
Aerobic Respiration
With oxygen.
Anaerobic Respiration
Without oxygen.
Plants or Animals?
Cellular respiration occurs in both plants and animals. Aerobic respiration occurs in both plants and animals as well, so does anaerobic respiration. Cellular respiration is a process that all living organisms can't live without. Neither of them can survive without photosynthesis either.
The End
In the end photosynthesis and cellular respiration are two very important processes that make glucose and break it down to obtain energy for a cell and all living organisms to function.