Background: Whether it was volcanic activity that spewed sulfur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere,...

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Background: Whether it was volcanic activity that spewed sulfur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere, or a giant meteor that crashed into the Earth blasting dust and debris into the sky, both theories of what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct share one critical similarity -- light from the sun was obliterated. The result of the months' long darkness was the mass extinction of nearly 70% of all creatures on Earth. Like the dinosaurs, humans cannot live without the sun.
1. Explain how photosynthesis and respiration are linked in order to provide you with energy from the food you eat.
Include in your essay:

Complete descriptions of photosynthesis and aerobic respiration.

Describe how these two processes are linked between plants and animals based on the reactants and products (water, carbon dioxide, glucose and oxygen) of both pathways.

Include a description of how energy is transferred from sunlight to ATP, from ATP to sugars, and from sugars to your cells.

2. In the absence of oxygen some cells and organisms can use glycolysis coupled to fermentation to produce energy from the sugar created by photosynthesis.

Explain the role of fermentation in allowing an organism to generate energy for its cell(s) in the absence of oxygen.

Include any reactions required for this process, and explain how the energy from the sun ends up as chemical energy for the anaerobic organism or cell.

3. Cells use enzymes as biological catalysts to increase or accelerate the rate of reactions, such as those in photosynthesis or glycolysis. This allows reactions to occur under conditions that sustain life.

Explain how an enzyme catalyzes a reaction. Include in your essay the three main steps of the cycle of enzyme-substrate interactions.

How is enzyme activity regulated by the cell?

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Individual Project Deliverable Length: 2pages Points Possible: 125 Due Date: 1/18/2013 11:59:59 PM CT Background: Whether it was volcanic activity that spewed sulfur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere, or a giant meteor that crashed into the Earth blasting dust and debris into the sky, both theories of what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct share one critical similarity -- light from the sun was obliterated. The result of the months' long darkness was the mass extinction of nearly 70% of all creatures on Earth. Like the dinosaurs, humans cannot live without the sun. Not only does it provide light and warmth, it is also the energy source for arguably the most important chemical reaction on Earth: photosynthesis. Answer the following assignment questions: 1. Explain how photosynthesis and respiration are linked in order to provide you with energy from the food you eat. Include in your essay: Complete descriptions of photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. Describe how these two processes are linked between plants and animals based on the reactants and products (water, carbon dioxide, glucose and oxygen) of both pathways. Include a description of how energy is transferred from sunlight to ATP, from ATP to sugars, and from sugars to your cells. 2. In the absence of oxygen some cells and organisms can use glycolysis coupled to fermentation to produce energy from the sugar created by photosynthesis. Explain the role of fermentation in allowing an organism to generate energy for its cell(s) in the absence of oxygen. Include any reactions required for this process, and explain how the energy from the sun ends up as chemical energy for the anaerobic organism or cell. 3. Cells use enzymes as biological catalysts to increase or accelerate the rate of reactions, such as those in photosynthesis or glycolysis. This allows reactions to occur under conditions that sustain life. Explain how an enzyme catalyzes a reaction. Include in your essay the three main...

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David · Accepted Answer

1. Explain how photosynthesis and respiration are linked in order to provide you with    
energy from the food you eat. 
Photosynthesis can be defined as; a chemical procedure in which organisms (particularly 
plants) capture energy from sun, and fix it in an organic form. It is made up of two types of 
reactions: light reaction (takes place in grana of chloroplast), and dark reaction (occurs in stroma 
of chloroplast). In light reaction, light energy is absorbed by chlorophyll and its accessory 
pigments, and is further converted into NADPH, and ATP. On the other hand,  in dark (light- 
independent) reaction, NADPH and ATP are utilized to synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and 
H2O (Peltier & Thibault, 1985). The overall process of photosynthesis can be presented as 
follows: 
6CO2 + 12H2O ----------> C6H12O6+ 6H2O + 6O2↑ 
                  Carbohydrate 
So, the key products of photosynthesis are carbohydrate and oxygen that can further be 
utilized by creatures during aerobic respiration which is a specific procedure in which liberation 
of chemical energy occurs due to break down of carbohydrates and other organic molecules in 
presence of oxygen as follows:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O ----------> 12H2O + 6 CO2↑ (+ Energy)
From above reactions, it can be understood easily that both the process are 
complementary to each other since; plants need CO2 and H2O to carry out photosynthesis which 
are supplied by animals as products of  respiration whereas; animals require sugar and oxygen to 
govern their life that are supplied by plants through photosynthesis. So, products of 
photosynthesis help respiration while, the products of respiration assist photosynthesis thus; 
shaping a cycle (Azcón-Bieto et al., 1983). 
2. In the absence of oxygen some cells and organisms can use glycolysis coupled to 
fermentation to produce energy from the sugar created by photosynthesis. 
Fermentation might be defined as; an anaerobic metabolic process through which a 
creature can alter a carbohydrate (for instance; starch or simple sugar) into an alcohol or an acid. 
How fermentation can direct energy generation even in the absence of oxygen it can be 
understood by taking the example of Lactic acid fermentation. In glycolysis,

Background: Whether it was volcanic activity that spewed sulfur dioxide and ash into the atmosphere, or a giant meteor that crashed into the Earth blasting dust and debris into the sky, both theories...

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