Question

Choose either the mitochondria or the chloroplast to answer this question.

*Name the major reactions of cellular respiration or photosynthesis and give their location within the organelle

*which structures within this organelle is heavily folded? Why is it heavily folded (mention how this form relates to cellular respiration or photosynthesis)?

Answer 1

Answer is for mitochondria.

1.- Cellular respiration is a set of processes that occur in eukaryotic cells that generates ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for cell energy and involves both anaerobic and aerobic steps. In general, cellular respiration can be divided into four stages: Glycolysis, which does not require oxygen and occurs in the mitochondria of all cells, and the three stages of aerobic respiration, all of which occur in mitochondria: the bridge (or transition) reaction, the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain reactions.

Cellular Respiration: Phases and Sites

Cellular respiration occur in four phases.

Glycolysis: Cytoplasm Phase. In this series of ten reactions in the cytoplasm, glucose is transformed into a pair of molecules of pyruvate. two ATP are generated, and no oxygen is required. If oxygen is present and the cell is eukaryotic, the pyruvate is passed along to the mitochondria.

Bridge Reaction: Mitochondria Phase 1. The pyruvate is converted to acetyl coenzyme A by losing a carbon atom (in the form of carbon dioxide, CO2) and gaining a coenzyme A molecule in its place. Acetyl CoA is an important metabolic intermediate in all cells.

Krebs Cycle: Mitochondria Phase 2. In the mitochondrial matrix, acetyl CoA combined with the four-carbon molecule oxaloacetate to form citrate. In a series of steps that generate two ATP (one ATP per upstream pyruvate molecule), this molecule is converted back to oxaloacetate. In the process, the electron carriers NADH and FADH2 are produced in abundance.

Electron Transport Chain: Mitochondria Phase 3. On the inner mitochondrial membrane, the electron carriers from the Krebs cycle are used to power the addition of phosphate groups to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) to make 32 to 34 ATP. In total, cellular respiration thus generates 36 to 38 ATP per molecule of glucose, 34 to 36 of them in the three mitochondrial stages.

2- mitochondria is heavily folded.

inner membrane folds over many times and creates layered structures called cristae. The folding of the inner membrane increases the surface area inside the organelle. Since many of the chemical reactions happen on the inner membrane, the increased surface area creates more space for reactions to occur. Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of the cell. They are organelles that act like a digestive system which takes in nutrients, breaks them down, and creates energy rich molecules for the cell. The biochemical processes of the cell are known as cellular respiration.