12. RESPIRATION IN PLANTS
The chapter discusses the process of respiration in plants, detailing how energy is obtained from food through cellular respiration, including glycolysis, fermentation, and aerobic respiration. It highlights the differences between anaerobic and aerobic pathways, the role of respiration in plants, and the importance of ATP in energy transfer. Additionally, the respiratory pathway is described as an amphibolic pathway that supports both catabolism and anabolism, with the respiratory quotient (RQ) illustrating the type of substrates used.
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What we have learnt
- Plants respire and exchange gases through stomata and lenticels, unlike animals that have specialized organs.
- The breakdown of glucose through respiration is essential for energy release, which is often captured in the form of ATP.
- Respiration can occur aerobically, utilizing oxygen, or anaerobically, without oxygen, each leading to different end products and energy yields.
Key Concepts
- -- Respiration
- The process by which organisms convert food into energy, involving the breakdown of glucose and the release of CO2 and energy.
- -- Glycolysis
- The first step in the breakdown of glucose that occurs in the cytoplasm, converting glucose into two molecules of pyruvic acid and generating a small amount of ATP.
- -- Krebs Cycle
- A series of reactions in aerobic respiration occurring in the mitochondria that fully oxidizes pyruvic acid to CO2, producing high energy molecules like NADH and FADH2.
- -- Electron Transport System (ETS)
- A series of complexes located in the inner mitochondrial membrane that transfer electrons from NADH and FADH2 to oxygen, generating a proton gradient used for ATP synthesis.
- -- Oxidative Phosphorylation
- The process of producing ATP using the energy released from electrons transferred through the ETS, coupled with the reduction of oxygen to water.
- -- Respiratory Quotient (RQ)
- The ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed during respiration, indicative of the type of substrate being oxidized.
- -- Amphibolic Pathway
- A metabolic pathway that serves both anabolic (synthesis) and catabolic (breakdown) functions, as seen in respiration.
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