Cellular Respiration

1. ATP comes primarily from the breakdown of glucose. If your blood glucose level drops, what physiological symptoms would you exhibit?

When blood glucose level drops a person can develop hypoglycemia, it could be treated right away with glucose-rich foods or drinks. However if not treated it can become worse and a person can experience symptoms such as; sweating, dizziness, shaking and can cause confusion.

2. If cellular respiration were the stock market (you are investing ATP and getting ATP dividends), where would you get the most return on your investment: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, or the electron transport chain? Explain your choice.

If cellular respiration were the stock market, I would get the most investment in the glycosis stage. During Glycosis a six carbon glucose molecule is broken down forming two three-carbon molecules. When it is split it requires and energy investment of 2 ATP molecules per glucose. From there the three-carbon molecules high energy electrons NAD form NAPH.

3. Under aerobic conditions, one of the products from glycolysis can be used in the Citric Acid Cycle, but it must first be converted to what before it can be used? In the Citric Acid Cycle (Krebs' Cycle) what and how many of each energy rich molecules are produced? Where in a eukaryotic cell does the Citric Acid Cycle take place?

The Pyruvic Acid that remained after glycolysis must be converted to a form the citric acid cycle can use. In the Kerbs cycle there are 12 NADH and FADH2 molecules are produced. During the three stages Glycolysis starts at the cytoplasm, while Krebs cycle and the last stage is in the Mitochondria.

4. After the complete oxidation of glucose via glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, most of the energy once stored in a glucose molecule is now stored in molecules of ATP, NADH and FADH2. Remembering that each energy conversion is not 100% efficient, what has happened to the remaining energy?

Energy is stored in the bonds that hold glucose together. As...