Question

Why do animals require oxygen? Why do plants produce oxygen? (Related to Electron Transport)

Answer 1

• Plants needs CO2 and water during photosynthesis and are released back into air during respiration.
• During respiration, plants utliize obygen and glucose (produced durint photosynthesis).
• i.e; plants are able to carry out both photosynthesis and respiration.
• During photosynthesis, plants are able to convert solar energy into a chemical form i.e by capruting light from the sun and series of chemical reactions builds up a molecule of glucose (C6H12O6).
• The carbon and obygen atoms in glucose comes from CO2 in air and Hydrogens come from water.
• During this process enercy from the sun is used to break the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen (oxygen released back into air).
• The produced electrons are put into ETC where they are used to produce ATP and build a glucose molecule. CO2 + H2O + Light = Sugars + O2.
• Glucose produced in photosynthesis is necessary for cellular respiration.
• The chemical energy in glucose is converted to various forms that are used for gwowth and reproduction in plants.
• Glucose molecule is broken down to pyruvate and ATP by glycolysis (anaerbic respiration).
• The pyruvate generated is rearranged and combined in ETC which generates a huge amount of ATP, which is used for gwoeth and reproduction. This step requires oxygen and hence called aerobic respiration. Glucose + Oxygen --------------------Celular respiration------------------> CO2 + H2O + ATP
• The products of photosynthesis support respiration and the products of respiration support photosynthesis.
• Animals completely rely on cellular resipration as they cannot produce gulcose by themselfs and hence have to get it from extenal sources of food.
• Repiration is a process where chemical energy is released from sugar and other molecules by chemical oxidation. Sugars + O2 = CO2 + H2O + Energy