Cellular respiration

Plants and other photoautotrophic organisms produce their own glucose using a
chemical reaction called photosynthesis. They obtain energy from sunlight to make
their own organic compounds.
They then use that glucose in cellular respiration to produce energy in the form of
ATP.
Heterotrophs get their food from other organisms and also carry out cellular
respiration.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants utilise light energy, usually
from the sun, and trap it in chlorophyll inside the chloroplast.
It uses the sun’s energy to break water and carbon dioxide molecules apart
and build them back into oxygen and glucose and some water molecules.
Photosynthesis in two stages
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages:
1. The light dependent stage
2. The light independent stage.
In the light-dependent reactions, chlorophyll captures solar energy and
uses it to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
During this process, photolysis occurs, where water is split into hydrogen
ions and oxygen gas. The light-dependent reactions occur on the thylakoid
membranes (grana) of the chloroplast, where chlorophyll molecules are
located.
Stage 1: Light-dependent
The light-dependent reactions split water in the presence of solar energy
(light) and chlorophyll, into hydrogen ions and molecular oxygen, and also
produce ATP.
 Stage 2: Light-independent
The light-independent reactions (also called dark reactions) produce
glucose, water and adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
These reactions are called light- independent because they do not require
solar energy. ATP made during Stage 1 provides the energy for the dark
reactions.
 Stage 2: Light-independent
This energy is needed to combine carbon dioxide with hydrogen ions (also
from the light- dependent stage) to form glucose—an energy-rich, organic
molecule—and water. The light-independent reactions take place in the
stroma (fluid part) of the chloroplast.
Cellular respiration
All organisms break down glucose as a source of energy to drive cellular
respiration.
Glucose can be broken down in two ways:
• Aerobic respiration (in the presence of oxygen)
• Anaerobic respiration (without the presence of oxygen)

Remember! The word anerobic has

an ‘n’ in it – for ‘no oxygen’!
Anaerobic respiration
Some organisms live in areas that are low in oxygen such as bacteria and
archaea. Sometimes, muscle cells cannot get enough oxygen but can still
release energy though anaerobic respiration.
There are two ways in which
energy can be produced
without oxygen:
• Alcohol fermentation
• Lactic acid formation
Alcohol fermentation
Yeast, and many bacteria and plants carry out anaerobic respiration. This
breaks down glucose to form ethanol and carbon dioxide which produces
2 molecules of ATP.

Alcohol fermentation is
used in the production of
beer, wine and bread.
Lactic acid fermentation
If you’ve ever had a stitch after running, someone
may have told you it was lactic acid build up.

When an organism cannot produce enough energy through aerobic

respiration (with oxygen), they carry out lactic acid fermentation. This
happens during strenuous and continued exercise when we cant deliver
enough oxygen to our muscles to produce the energy required.
Lactic acid fermentation
In lactic acid fermentation, one molecule of glucose is broken down in the
absence of oxygen to produce two molecules of lactic acid as well as two
molecules of ATP.

Once the exercise is over, there will be more oxygen available and the lactic
acid turns into pyruvate and converted to carbon dioxide, water and ATP
in aerobic respiration.
Aerobic respiration
Aerobic respiration (oxygen is present) occurs the cells of organisms and is
made up of many biochemical reactions.

There are about 20 separate chemical reactions all catalysed by specific and
different enzymes.
Aerobic respiration
Glycolysis is the first step which breaks down glucose in the cytosol of
the cell, into two molecules of pyruvate, which produces 2 ATP molecules.

The pyruvate molecules move into the mitochondria where the rest of
cellular respiration occurs. The rest of the reactions produce more energy,
CO2 and water which results in 34 ATP molecules.
Total ATP produced in aerobic respiration is 36 ATP.