Cellular respiration is a series of metabolic processes that occur in cells to convert energy from food into a usable form called ATP. There are two types of cellular respiration: aerobic respiration, which uses oxygen, and anaerobic respiration, which does not use oxygen. Aerobic respiration produces more ATP and occurs in three stages - glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. Anaerobic respiration produces less ATP and includes lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation. Cellular respiration is essential for organisms to obtain energy for basic functions like growth, movement, and transport.
2. LESSON OUTCOMES
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
Define cellular respiration.
Explain cellular respiration using the chemical and word equation.
List all the necessary components for cellular respiration t take place
Discuss the two main processes of cellular respiration: Aerobic respiration and Anaerobic respiration
Examine the difference between Aerobic respiration and Anaerobic respiration.
Build a model representation of ATP and ADP.
Draw a labelled diagram showing stages of cellular respiration.
Design an investigation to show that:
-Oxygen is used by living organisms during respiration.
- Carbon dioxide is produced by living organisms during respiration.
Evaluate the importance of energy in plants and animals
3. WHAT IS CELLULAR RESPIRATION ?
Is a series of metabolic processes taking place in a cell in which energy from food in in the presence of
oxygen or in the absence of oxygen is used to produce ATP.
(Romero, 2010)
4. IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY
Energy is used by organisms in various ways. Some of the main ways in which
energy is used include:
growth
cell division
movement
transport of substances
active transport
5. TYPES OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION
There are two types of cellular respiration:
aerobic respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen to release
energy
anaerobic respiration occurs in the absence of oxygen to release
energy
6. AEROBIC RESPIRATION
Aerobic respiration occurs when glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen inside the cytoplasm
and mitochondria of the cell.
The requirements for the process are oxygen and glucose. The by-products released are carbon dioxide and
water as well as ATP energy.
Glucose + Oxygen= Carbon Dioxide + Water + ATP
The stages of aerobic respiration
Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm
Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid cycle) takes place inside the mitochondrion
Electron Transport Chain (ETC) takes place inside the mitochondrion
7. GLYCOLYSIS
Glycolysis is the breakdown of Glucose into pyruvic acid and energy-rich in the
cytoplasm.
The following are the Products during glycolysis:
2 pyruvic acid
4 ATP
2 NADH
9. KREBS CYCLE
Krebs cycle is the breakdown of pyruvic acid completely
to form energy-rich hydrogens and carbon dioxide.
Products of the Krebs cycle:
2 ATP
6 NADH
2 FADH2
2CO2 (will be exhaled)
11. ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN (ETC)
The energy-rich hydrogens are used to make ATP. The energy
depleted hydrogens combine with oxygen to make water. This will
either be exhaled from the body or excreted by the kidney.
15. ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION
Anaerobic respiration is also called fermentation or the process by which little energy is released from the
glucose when oxygen is not available in the cytoplasm .
The following are two types of Fermentation:
Alcoholic Fermentation is the respiration that occurs in organisms that are not human.
Lactic Acid Fermentation in the human body
16. USES OF ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION IN INDUSTRIES
Yeast and other fungi respire anaerobically and are used to produce alcoholic
beverages such as beer and wine (Van der Merwe et al., 2012)
Yeast cells are also used to cause bread to rise during the baking process
(Van der Merwe et al., 2012).
18. ACTIVITY
What are the 3 phases of the Aerobic respiration process? [3]
Where in the cell does the glycolysis part of cellular respiration occur?
in the cytoplasm
3. Where in the cell does the Krebs (Citric Acid) cycle part of cellular respiration occur?
in the mitochondria
4. Where in the cell does the electron transport part of cellular respiration occur?
in the mitochondria
5. How many ATP (net)are made in the glycolysis part of cellular respiration?
2 (net)
6. How many ATP are made in the Krebs cycle part of cellular respiration?
2
7. How many ATP are made in the electron transport part of cellular respiration?
32 34
8. In which phase of cellular respiration is carbon dioxide made?
Krebs Cycle
9. In which phase of cellular respiration is water made?
Electron Transport
10. In which phase of cellular respiration is oxygen a substrate?
Electron Transport
11. In which phase of cellular respiration is glucose a substrate?
Glycolysis
12. On average, how many ATP can be made from each NADH during the electron transport process?
13. On average, how many ATP can be made from each FADH2 during the electron transport process?
14. What would happen to the cellular respiration process if the enzyme for one step of the process
were missing or defective?
The entire process beyond that point could not happen.
15. What happens to the high-energy electrons (and hydrogen) held by NADH if there is no O2
present? If no oxygen is present, the pyruvic acid must take the electrons (and their hydrogens)
back.16. Explain why this happens.
This happens because there are only a small number of NAD+
molecules in the cell. They must be
reused to keep glycolysis going with additional glucose molecules. This means they need to
unload the electrons from NADH by giving them to some other molecule. Since the pyruvic acid
cannot continue on to the Krebs cycle when there is no oxygen present, it receives the electrons.
This allows the glycolysis portion of cellular respiration to continue even when O2 is not present.
This process of making ATP in the absence of O2 is called fermentation
17. What is the overall reaction for fermentation in yeast?
Glucose 2 Ethyl alcohol + 2 CO2 + 2 ATP + Heat
18. What is the overall reaction for lactic acid fermentation?