3.2 CELLULAR RESPIRATION

What will I learn: 

I will learn that animals convert the energy from glucose (sugar from plants) into energy to run their bodies

Why I will learn it:

I will learn it so I can describe the process of cellular respiration, and understand how energy is transferred to consumers of plants

How I will know I have learned it:

When I can describe cellular respiration and the products of respiration

Explore this Phenomenon

Take a deep breath, place your hand over your mouth, and breathe out then feel what is on your hand.

1. What do you feel?

2. What questions do you have about what is coming out?

3. How do you explain what is happening? 

3.2 Cellular Respiration

Develop a model to describe how food is changed through chemical reactions to form new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as matter cycles through an organism. Emphasis is on describing that during cellular respiration molecules are broken apart and rearranged into new molecules, and that this process releases energy. (PS3.D, LS1.C)

In this section, focus on matter and energy. Within a natural system, the flow of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.

What is Cellular Respiration?
Cellular respiration- is how cells of living things, including plants, break down glucose in order to release the chemical energy stored in the sugar. The chemical equation for cellular respiration is:

If you compare this with the
If you compare to the last section you will notice cellular respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis.  The products of cellular respiration are used in photosynthesis, and the products of photosynthesis are used in cellular respiration. The forms of energy are different though. Photosynthesis uses light to
create chemical energy in sugar, cellular respiration breaks down the chemical energy found in sugars and converts it to mechanical and heat energy for the organism’s use. 

Why Food is Important

Living organisms need energy to live and they need matter to grow. Cellular respiration provides for both needs. During the digestion of food (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) the molecules are broken down to form new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as matter cycles through the organism. Proteins from your food are broken into smaller pieces and then are used to build up your muscles and to support a complex assortment of cellular functions. The phrase “you are what you eat” is quite true in that the matter in the food you eat becomes the matter that your body is made of. It also means that you are consuming whatever the plant or animal consumed prior to you eating it.   You eat, your body digests the food breaking it down into small particles, and then down into molecules, which are moved into your cells.  Your cells break the energy out of the molecules.  Glucose is a sugar, but proteins and fats can be broken down and rearranged for the body to use like glucose. 

 Putting It Together

1. Explain how your understanding of cellular respiration has changed.

2. Think of another phenomenon that applies to cellular respiration.

3. Explain what is happening in the picture based on what you have learned in this section.