Lesson 7.

Energy Flow and

Recycling

General Biology 11/2

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Energy transformation might be more visible to you
physically.

2
Energy transformation
can be very
observable in
situations where you
use flashlights to
transform chemical
energy into light and
heat energy.

3
 It can also be
present when
gasoline is used to
power cars that
transform chemical
energy into
mechanical and heat
energy.

4
 When lighting a
candle, energy
transforms from light
to heat energy.

5
How does the concept of energy
transformation become useful
in living organisms?

6
 Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Explain coupled reaction processes and

describe the role of ATP in energy coupling and
transfer (STEM_BIO11/12-IIa-j-1).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Describe the importance and mechanism of

energy transformation in cells.

● Describe the structure and function of adenosine

triphosphate.

● Explain the mechanism of reaction coupling

involving adenosine triphosphate.
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How is chemical energy utilized
in different cellular processes?

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 Energy

● Energy is defined as
the ability to do work or
bring about a change,
allowing organisms to
carry out different life
processes, including
growth, development,
metabolism, and
reproduction.
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 Forms of Energy

Thermal Energy

Forms of Energy Chemical Energy

Potential
Energy
Mechanical Energy
Kinetic
Energy
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How do the laws of
thermodynamics differ from
one another?

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 Laws of Thermodynamics

First Law of Thermodynamics

● Law of conservation of energy

● This states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed;

rather, energy can be changed from one form to
another.

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 Laws of Thermodynamics

First Law
of
Thermodynamics

Energy is not created by the plants, but rather, they

obtain it from sunlight and convert it into a form that
can be stored in chemical bonds of biomolecules. 14
 Laws of Thermodynamics

Second Law of Thermodynamics

● Energy cannot be changed from one form to another

without a loss of usable energy.

● All energy transformations are inefficient because

every reaction loses a portion of the energy input into
the surroundings.

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 Laws of Thermodynamics

Second Law
of
Thermodynamics

A portion of the solar energy absorbed by the

plant becomes heat when glucose is utilized
during respiration. 16
How does entropy affect
cellular mechanisms?

17
 Cells and Entropy

● Entropy is used to indicate the relative amount of

disorganization of a system.

● It is the measure of randomness. The more disordered a

system is, the higher is its entropy.

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 Cells and Entropy

The second law of thermodynamics can be shown in the breakdown of

glucose and the movement of ions across the cell membrane. These
processes naturally tend to proceed into a state of greater entropy.
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 Adenosine Triphosphate

The ATP-ADP cycle in which ATP carries energy between exergonic and
endergonic reactions. The energy released from ATP is used to drive
biochemical functions. 20
 Adenosine Triphosphate

The Structure of ATP

nitrogen-containing three phosphate

base adenine groups

five-carbon sugar
ribose
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 Mechanisms of ATP Synthesis

substrate-level
phosphorylation

oxidative
Mechanisms of photophosphorylation
phosphorylation
ATP Synthesis

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 Mechanisms of ATP Synthesis

Substrate-level phosphorylation

Substrate-level phosphorylation is the process of producing ATP by combining

ADP and a phosphate group from a phosphorylated molecule instead of an
inorganic phosphate.

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 Mechanisms of ATP Synthesis

Oxidative phosphorylation

Oxidative phosphorylation is an ATP synthesizing mechanism that utilizes the

energy derived from the transfer of electrons in an electron transport system
to combine ADP and inorganic phosphate.

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 Mechanisms of ATP Synthesis

Photophosphorylation

Photophosphorylation is driven by the proton motive force generated during

the flow of electrons in the light reaction stage. The protons flow through the
ATP synthase enzyme complex, which triggers ATP synthesis.

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How do endergonic reactions
differ from exergonic reactions?

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Coupled Reactions

Exergonic reactions are

energy-releasing processes
where the reactants have
greater energy than the
products.

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Coupled Reactions

Endergonic reactions are

energy-releasing processes
where the reactants have less
energy than the products.

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Why does Earth not go up in
flames?

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 Check Your Understanding

Identify the terms being described by each of the

following statements.

1. It is defined as the ability to do work or bring about a

change.
2. It is a stored energy whose capacity to accomplish work
is not being used at the moment.
3. It is a type of kinetic energy associated with the random
movement of atoms or molecules.
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 Check Your Understanding

Determine the possible consequences should the

following events take place.

1. Two objects have the same rate of movement of their

atoms or molecules.
2. Conservation of energy is not possible anymore for the
biosphere.
3. The three phosphate groups of ATP are stable and
cannot be easily broken down.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Energy is defined as the ability to do work or bring

about a change, allowing organisms to carry out
different life processes, including growth, development,
metabolism, and reproduction.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Kinetic energy is the energy of motion, while potential

energy is a stored energy whose capacity to accomplish
work is not being used at the moment. In cells, potential
energy is in the form of chemical energy stored in the
chemical bonds of biomolecules.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The first law of thermodynamics is the law of

conservation of energy states that energy cannot be
created nor destroyed, but it can be changed from one
form to another. Cells have the capacity to convert one
form of energy into another. For example, plants
convert solar energy into chemical energy in sugar
molecules.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The second law of thermodynamics applies to living

systems. It states that energy cannot be changed from
one form to another without a loss of usable energy.
When cells oxidize food molecules to drive chemical
reactions, heat is also released into the surroundings.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The term entropy is used to indicate the relative

amount of disorganization, and the universe moves in
the direction of greater entropy. However, life forms on
earth have the capacity to maintain or increase
complexity through the continuous supply of solar
energy.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Adenosine triphosphate or ATP is the common energy

currency of cells. When cells require energy, they use
ATP.

● ATP is synthesized through three mechanisms:

substrate-level phosphorylation, oxidative
phosphorylation, and photophosphorylation. The
first one requires a phosphorylated intermediate,
whereas the latter two use an inorganic phosphate.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Adenosine triphosphate is a nucleotide composed of

the nitrogen-containing base adenine, the five-carbon
sugar ribose, and three phosphate groups. Breaking
the bond between the ADP and inorganic phosphate
releases energy, which can be used for coupled
reactions.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Exergonic reactions begin with reactants whose

covalent bonds contain more potential energy than
those in products. The reaction releases to the
surroundings an amount of energy equal to the
difference in potential energy between the reactants
and the products. An example of this is the oxidation of
glucose molecules to release energy.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Endergonic reactions require a net input of energy and

yield products that are rich in potential energy. An
endergonic reaction starts with reactants that contain
relatively little potential energy. Energy is absorbed from
the surroundings as the reaction occurs, so the
products of an endergonic reaction contain more
chemical energy than the reactants did. A biological
example of an endothermic reaction is photosynthesis.

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Let’s Sum It Up!

Graphical representation of energy coupling in cells

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Challenge Yourself

Consider a cell with certain energy content,

from which we wish to extract from as
many processes as possible. Should the
system’s entropy be high or low?

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Bibliography

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