Cellular Respiration Essay

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Describe the stages of cellular respiration and photosynthesis and their interaction and interdependence including raw materials, products, and amount of ATP or glucose produced during each phase. How is each linked to specific organelles within the eukaryotic cell. What has been the importance and significance of these processes and their cyclic interaction to the evolution and diversity of life? We all need energy to function and we get this energy from the foods we eat. The most efficient way for cells to harvest energy stored in food is through cellular respiration, a catabolic pathway for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP, a high energy molecule, is expended by working cells. Cellular respiration occurs in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. It has three main stages: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and electron transport. Cellular respiration is the process by which food i s broken down by the body's cells to produce energy, in the form of ATP molecules. In plants, some of this ATP energy is used during photosynthesis to produce sugar. These sugars are in turn broken down during cellular respiration, continuing the cycle. Cellular respiration is carried out by every cell in both plants and animals and is essential for daily living. It does not occur at any set time, and, at the same point in time, Neighboring cells may be involved in different stages of cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is an exergonic reaction, which means it produces energy. It is also a catabolic process - it breaks down polymers into smaller, more manageable pieces. The ultimate goal of cellular respiration is to take carbohydrates, disassemble them into glucose molecules, and then use this glucose to produce energy-rich ATP molecules. The general equation for cellular respiration is: one glucose molecule plus six oxygen molecules produces six carbon

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