Gina-Mike-Kyle-CR+essays

26. Tom notices that he is a lot more short of breath after he finishes a 200 meter sprint than when he jogs for 3 miles. He is confused because he feels as if he should feel more tired when he runs for a much longer distance. Explain to him why it makes sense that he is indeed more short of breath after running a sprint than jogging. Make sure to explain it using your scientific knowledge of cellular respiration.

Sprinting doesn’t allow you to get enough oxygen for aerobic respiration so your joints start to fill with lactic acid and go through anaerobic respiration. This process is known as lactic acid fermentation. This creates an oxygen debt and doesn’t allow him to go through the rest of the CR cycle. When he jogs it isn’t as strenuous as sprinting so he is able to take more oxygen in and make more energy so he is able to run farther.

27. A scientist isolates mitochondria form human cells and places them in an acid solution. The acid penetrates the intermembranous space of the mitochondria. The scientist then notices that the mitochondria start making ATP despite the fact that he is not providing any glucose for them. How is it possible that the mitochondria are still making ATP? (Think back to what an acid is, what it releases when placed in a solution and why this would make the mitochondria synthesize ATP).

With the acid solution in the intermembranous space a high concentration of hydrogen ions is built and you can skip the other steps and then the hydrogen ions can diffuse through the ATP synthase through facilitated diffusion and create ATP.

28. Genetic testing reveals that baby Helen has a defective gene that results in the defective production of one of the proteins in the electron transport chain. Because of faulty instructions in her DNA, one of the proteins in her ETC is mis-shapen, and therefore it cannot perform its function as efficiently. Baby Helen is “failing to thrive” as she is having a hard time gaining weight and reaching developmental milestones. Using your knowledge of the ETC and its role in making ATP, explain why you think baby Helen is having the problems described above.

Helen will not be able to make ATP as efficiently because she is missing that protein in the ETC, so Helen will have to burn a lot more sugar. Because sugar is very hard to burn, in order to burn it, her body would need a lot more energy. She cannot gain weight as easily because she doesn’t produce ATP as easily and she can only use the energy in sugars.

29. Compare the basic transformation of energy during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

In Photosynthesis food(Glucose) is formed, energy from the sun is stored in glucose, carbon dioxide is taken in, oxygen is given off, and sugars are produced from PGAL. Photosynthesis requires light and only occurs in the presence of chlorophyll. Through this process the sunlight is transferred to make glucose. During cellular respiration, food is broken down, energy in glucose is released, carbon dioxide is given off and oxygen is taken in to produce CO2 and H2O. Cellular respiration does not require light and occurs in all living cells. In this process the energy that is stored in the bonds of glucose is used to create ATP.

30. Describe the role of ATP in biochemical reactions. What is ATP used for in your cells? How do your cells get energy out of a molecule of ATP? How is ATP recharged?

The role of ATP is to provide energy to all the parts in your body. Without ATP you would not be able to perform all the functions, like Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration, which are needed to sustain life. ATP is used to provide energy to all the cells in your body. The cells in your body get energy from ATP by breaking the bond between the second and third phosphate. When this bond is broken a huge amount of ATP is released. To recharge ATP some energy must be provided so that ADP and a P(phosphate) can be combined to produce more energy then was put into the process to combine the two molecules.