Question

tell us about your 'unique' trait requires ENERGY. How do you think this is related to metabolic processes such as the Citric Acid cycle and Electron Transport chain?

Answer 1

My unique trait is swimming which requires a lot of energy. Glucose stored in the form of glycogen is first broken down to glucose which then enters glycolysis where it is converted into pyruvate. Then pyruvate oxidation and decarboxylation take place which converts pyruvate into acetyl CoA. This then enters into Citric acid cycle which is a closed-loop; the last part of the pathway reforms the molecule used in the first step.  Products of the first turn of the cycle are one GTP (or ATP), three NAD and two CO₂. Because two acetyl-CoA molecules are produced from each glucose molecule, two cycles are required per glucose molecule. Therefore, at the end of two cycles, the products are two GTP, six NADH and four CO_2.

Finally, NADH and FADH2 formed during glycolysis and Citric acid cycle donates their electrons to various electron carriers of the electron transport chain. The final electron acceptor is oxygen. Together with oxygen, electrons and protons form molecules of water. Oxidative phosphorylation also occurs which is the process in which ATP is formed as a result of the transfer of electrons from NADH or FADH ₂ to O ₂ by a series of electron carriers. Thus almost 38 molecules of ATP are produced through the whole process which allows my muscles to contract and relax alternatively producing force required for swimming.