Chapter 5

ENERGY FLOW IN THE CELL

What is energy?

▪ Energy is the capacity to do work. Work, in turn, is the

transfer of energy to an object that causes the object to
move. All of life’s processes are driven by converting energy
from one form to another.
▪ There are 2 fundamental types of energy:
- Potential energy—stored energy, such as chemical
energy in biological molecules and other molecules.
- Kinetic energy—energy of movement.
 Chemical energy
▪ One form of energy that is particularly important to
all biological systems is chemical energy, that is
stored in the bonds that hold atoms together into
molecules.
▪ Living organisms can break these bonds, releasing
the stored energy -> chemical reaction.
 Energy flow in the cell

▪ Photosynthesis
▪ Cellular respiration
 Photosynthesis

▪ Photosynthesis is the process by which light energy

is captured and stored as chemical energy in the
bonds of organic molecules such as sugar.

6 CO2 + 6 H20 + light energy -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2

 Leaves

Photosynthesis occurs in
chloroplast in the leaves
Internal leaf structure

cuticle
upper
epidermis

mesophyll
cells

stoma lower epidermis

Chloroplast in mesophyll cell chloroplasts
bundle sheath
outer membrane vascular bundle
inner membrane (vein)
thylakoid
stroma

granum channel interconnecting thylakoids

(stack of
thylakoids)
 Two major reaction sequences in photosynthesis
▪ Light-dependent reactions
– Chlorophyll captures
sunlight energy and energy from
transfer to energy carrier sunlight
O2 H2O
CO2
molecules (ATP &
NADPH)
ATP
– Uses H20 and releases NADPH
O2 Light-dependent
reactions occur Light-
▪ Light-independent in thylakoids. independent
reactions occur
reactions ADP in stroma.

– Enzymes use ATP & NADP+

H20
NADPH to drive
chloroplast
synthesis of glucose
glucose
– Uses CO2 and H20 and
releases glucose
 How Do Cells Obtain Energy?

▪ Photosynthesis is the ultimate source of cellular

energy
– Photosynthetic organisms capture the energy of
sunlight and store it in the form of glucose

6 CO2 + 6 H20 + light energy -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2

▪ Then, how the cell obtain energy from glucose?

 How Do Cells Obtain Energy?

▪ Nearly all organisms use glycolysis and cellular

respiration to break down sugar molecules to
capture energy as ATP

▪ Cells break down glucose in two stages:

✓glycolysis, which liberates a small quantity of ATP,

✓followed by cellular respiration, which produces far

more ATP
 Photosynthesis Provides the Energy
Released by Glycolysis and Cellular Respiration
 What Happens During Glycolysis?

– Glycolysis has an etymological root from the Greek,

“glyco,” meaning “sweet,” and “lysis,” meaning to
“split apart”
– Glycolysis begins by splitting glucose (a six-carbon
sugar) into two molecules of pyruvate (a three-carbon
sugar)
– Two ATP molecules are produced
– Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm
What Happens During Cellular Respiration?

▪ Cellular respiration breaks down the two pyruvate

molecules produced by glycolysis into six carbon dioxide
molecules and six water molecules
▪ Cellular respiration occurs in mitochondria, in the presence
of oxygen
▪ The overall equation for the complete breakdown of glucose
is:

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + ATP

▪ If there is no
oxygen, then
pyruvates are
degraded by
another process
called:
Fermentation
 What Happens During Fermentation?

– Fermentation does not produce more ATP, but is

necessary to regenerate NAD+, which must be available
for glycolysis to continue

– Organisms use one of two types of fermentation to

regenerate NAD+
– Lactic acid fermentation produces lactic acid from
pyruvate
– Alcohol fermentation generates alcohol and CO2 from
pyruvate
 What Happens During Fermentation?

– Lactic acid fermentation produces lactic acid from

pyruvate
 Lactic Acid Fermentation in Human Muscle Cells
▪ If you exercise to the point of overexertion, you cannot breathe fast
enough to supply your cells with the O2 needed to maintain
aerobic cellular respiration.
▪ During such anaerobic exercise, glucose in your muscles is
fermented to produce lactic acid. Then, after a few minutes of
anaerobic exercise, your muscles will stop functioning (not quite
sure exactly why) and you will collapse.
Lactic Acid Fermentation by Bacteria
 What Happens During Fermentation?

– Alcohol fermentation generates alcohol and CO2 from

pyruvate
Alcohol Fermentation by Yeast
 Summary

▪ In plants, the energy

of sunlight is
captured and stored
in the form of glucose
via photosynthesis.
▪ Then glucose is
break down via
glycolysis and
cellular respiration to
provide energy in
form of ATP.
 Summary

▪ In human, there is no
photosynthesis. We
got glucose by eating
foods.
▪ Then glucose is
break down via
glycolysis and
cellular respiration to
provide energy in
form of ATP.
 Summary

▪ In microorganism
(bacteria, yeast),
there is no cellular
respiration, instead it
break down pyruvate
by fermentation
process
Summary