Continuing Professional Learning Course 2023

Learning Strand 2
Name:______________________ Division: ________________
Group Members: ______________________________________________________________

Activity 2
Factors Affecting Cellular Respiration

Overview
In this exercise, you will explore the different factors that affect the rate of respiration in
germinating seeds using the virtual simulation of the Ministry of Electronics & Information
Technology, Government of India

Learning Objectives:
 Investigate how the different factors affect the rate of cellular respiration of germinating
seeds having different substances such as wheat (carbohydrates), mustard (fat), and beans
(proteins).

Background
Cellular respiration is the process by which cells convert glucose and other nutrients into
energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is used to power various cellular
functions. This process takes place in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells, and in the cytoplasm
of prokaryotic cells. The whole process is summarized the equation below:

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + ATP

Through cellular respiration, cells can generate a molecule called adenosine triphosphate
(ATP), which serves as a primary energy source for cellular activities such as muscle
contraction, protein synthesis, and nerve function. Without cellular respiration, cells would be
unable to carry out these vital functions and would ultimately cease to function altogether.
The overall process of cellular respiration can be divided into three stages: glycolysis, the
citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle), and oxidative phosphorylation.
During glycolysis, glucose is broken down into pyruvate in the cytoplasm, producing a
small amount of ATP and NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) in the process. The
pyruvate then enters the mitochondria, where it undergoes further breakdown in the citric acid
cycle, producing more ATP and NADH as well as FADH2 (flavin adenine dinucleotide).
The NADH and FADH2 produced in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle then donate their
electrons to the electron transport chain, which is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
This sets off a series of redox reactions that ultimately lead to the production of a large amount
of ATP through a process known as oxidative phosphorylation.
Overall, cellular respiration is a highly efficient process that enables cells to extract
energy from glucose and other nutrients in a controlled and stepwise manner, ultimately
powering all the functions of the cell.

Hypothesis:
Temperature, number of seeds, and cellular respiration
 Continuing Professional Learning Course 2023
Learning Strand 2
What do you think is the relationship between temperature, number of seeds and the rate of
cellular respiration based on the information above?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Substrate and cellular respiration

What do you think is the relationship between the substrate (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) and
the rate of cellular respiration?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Procedure
1. Go to: https://amrita.olabs.edu.in/?sub=79&brch=17&sim=204&cnt=4
2. To change the type of seed, select from the drop down list, ‘Select the seeds’.
3. You can increase or decrease the number of seeds inside the beaker by moving the
‘Number of seeds’ slider accordingly.
4. Increase or decrease the temperature using the slider, ‘Temperature’.
5. Click on the ‘Start’ button to begin the experiment.
6. You can observe that the level of water rises in the delivery tube dipped in the beaker.
7. A timer is shown. Wait till the timer stops.
8. Measure the rise of water level in the delivery tube
9. Click on the information icon to see the inference.
10. You can redo the experiment by clicking on the ‘Reset’ button.

Results and Discussion

Guide Questions

1. What trend did you observe when the temperature was increased with the number of
seeds held in constant?

2. What trend did you observe when you increased the number of seeds with the
temperature held in constant?

3. If you were to increase the temperature indefinitely, would you expect the increase of
water continue to increase at the same time? Explain.
 Continuing Professional Learning Course 2023
Learning Strand 2
Table 1. The rate of respiration of wheat seeds at different number of seeds and temperature
Number of Seeds Temperature (C) Volume of Water in mL
5
15
10
25
35
5
15
30
25
35
5
15
50
25
35

Table 2. The rate of respiration of mustard seeds at different number of seeds and temperature
Number of Seeds Temperature (C) Volume of Water in mL
5
15
10
25
35
5
15
30
25
35
5
15
50
25
35

Table 3. The rate of respiration of beans seeds at different number of seeds and temperature
Number of Seeds Temperature (C) Volume of Water in mL
5
15
10
25
35
5
15
30
25
35
50 5
15
25
 Continuing Professional Learning Course 2023
Learning Strand 2
35

4. Were there differences in the rate of water increase in different seed samples? Which has
the highest increase? Which has the least increase?

Conclusion

What generalizations can you draw out based from your findings?