Question

a) what is homeostasis? How does cellular respiration play a role in anabolic reactions?

b) What is the purpose of making NADH and FADH2? Are they reduced or oxidized?

c) What does it mean to say that glucose is oxidized? what molecule is broken down/oxidized to?

Answer 1

A. Homeostasis is the ability of a living organism to maintain a constant internal environment with respect to the fluctuating external environment. It is important to carry out metabolic activities so that a constant pH, temperature and salt concentration can be maintained.

Cellular respiration is The breakdown of sugar into carbon dioxide and water to produce ATP molecules. ATP molecules are energy rich molecules which are utilised by the cell in anabolic reactions. Anabolic reactions are building up reactions which utilise energy released by ATP hydrolysis to synthesise Complex Polymers from simple monomeric units.

B. Both of these are high energy electron carriers in their reduced form. While glucose is oxidised to subsequent molecules in cellular respiration it releases electrons, which are accepted by NAD+ and FAD+ and are reduced to NADH and FADH₂. These electron Carriers then enter electron transport chain where the electrons are ultimately accepted by oxygen to form water with the byproduct of cellular respiration.

C. When we say that glucose is being oxidized, it means glucose is broken down into simple form and ultimately it is forms carbon dioxide and water. When it is being oxidized, it releases energy in the form of ATP molecules which are used in anabolic reactions.