What Is Cellular Respiration?

Cellular respiration is the process by which food is broken down and converted into usable energy for the body. Essentially during this principally catabolic process, glucose molecules are broken down into energy known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Thus, glucose is the common energy source in cellular respiration. The process of cellular respiration begins with one glucose molecule and oxygen that yields the production of ATP as well as byproducts of water and carbon dioxide. This process is separated in three parts which all occur in different sections of the mitochondria and cytosol. The first step is called glycolysis which occurs in the cytosol, followed by the Krebs Cycle which occurs in the mitochondrial matrix, and lastly oxidative
The electron transport chain and is a series of redox reactions in the inner mitochondrial membrane that results in the transfer of electrons from NADH, FADH2, and O2 molecules. The electrons are used to pump protons across the membrane and into the intermembrane space creating a proton gradient. The electrons are then accepted by O2 to make H20. The protons move down their concentration gradient and are pumped back into the matrix by passing though a transport protein called ATP synthase during chemiosmosis. The protons power ATP synthase as they diffuse down the gradient thus catalyzing the production of
The purpose of photosynthesis is to use carbon dioxide and water to form glucose. The reactants of photosynthesis are thus water and carbon dioxide which yield glucose and oxygen as a byproduct. The process of photosynthesis is divided into two parts. The first part is known as the light-dependent reactions which undergo in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, and the second part is the calvin cycle which occurs in the chloroplast stroma. In order for a plant to undergo photosynthesis, it requires sunlight as its common source of energy. During the light dependent reactions, pigment and chlorophyll molecules in photosystems 1 and 2 absorb photons of light from the sun. The energy in photosystem 2 is used to excite electrons donated from water molecules. The electrons pass through the electron transport chain to supply the energy that will pump protons from the stroma to the thylakoid, creating a proton gradient. As the protons diffuse down their concentrate gradient, the transport protein ATP synthase is powered to catalyze the production of ATP. This mechanism is known as photophosphorylation. The low charged electrons are charged in photosystem 1 and are accepted by NADP+ to reduce it to NADPH. The ATP and NADPH molecules are then transported to the stroma in order to power the