Photosynthesis Making Energy Worksheet (Page 3 of 4) in pdf

Name: ______________________________________

Living Environment

Period: ______

Date: ___________

Cellular Respiration

Breaking down Energy

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of the cell. They are organelles that act like a digestive system that takes

in nutrients, breaks them down, and creates energy for the cell. The process of creating cell energy is known as cellular

respiration. Most of the chemical reactions involved in cellular respiration happen in the mitochondria. A mitochondrion

is shaped perfectly to maximize its efforts.

1. What process happens in the mitochondria?

2. What is the purpose of the process in #1 (what does it create)?

Introduction to Cellular Respiration

Organisms, such as plants and algae, can trap the energy in sunlight through photosynthesis and store it in the

chemical bonds of carbohydrate molecules. The principal carbohydrate formed through photosynthesis is

glucose. Other types of organisms, such as animals, fungi, protozoa, and a large portion of the bacteria, are

unable to perform this process. Therefore, these organisms must rely on the carbohydrates formed in plants to

obtain the energy necessary for their metabolic processes. This means they must eat plants and other animals in

order to gain energy.

4. Some organisms perform photosynthesis to produce energy. Other organisms cannot do photosynthesis. What can

they do in order to generate energy?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5. Animals and other organisms obtain the energy available in carbohydrates through the process of cellular

respiration. What is the purpose of cellular respiration? _________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Cells take the carbohydrates into their cytoplasm, and through a complex series of metabolic processes, they

break down the carbohydrates and release the energy. The energy is generally not needed immediately; rather

it is used to combine adenosine diphosphate (ADP) with another phosphate to form adenosine triphosphate

(ATP) molecules. The ATP can then be used for processes in the cells that require energy, much as a battery

powers a mechanical device. During the process of cellular respiration, carbon dioxide is given off. Plant cells can

use this carbon dioxide during photosynthesis to form new carbohydrates.

6. What happens to carbohydrates during cellular respiration? _____________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the chemical energy in the cell called? _________

8. What does ATP stand for? ________________________________________________________

9. What is one product of cellular respiration? ________________

Photosynthesis Making Energy Worksheet Page 3