Question

Question: Life requires energy. In a short essay (100-150 words), describe the basic principles of bioenergetics in an animal cell. How is the flow and transformation of energy different in a photosynthesizing cell? Include the role of ATP and enzymes in your discussion.

Short answer

The basic principle of bioenergetics is to understand how living organisms obtain and transform energy to accomplish the cell's activities.

Animal cells do not synthesize their energy source, whereas plant cells synthesize their source of energy through photosynthesis.

ATP is required to perform other energy-requiring processes of the cell. While enzymes accelerate the rate of reactions, thereby enhancing the flow of energy within the cells.

Step-by-step solution

Principles of bioenergetics

Bioenergetics deals with the flow of energy in living systems. It studies the numerous cellular processes that occur in the cell. These include cellular respiration and various enzymatic and metabolic processes that lead to the production of energy.

Energy is required for the survival of all living cells. Different techniques and substrates are also used to generate energy. This energy is used by living cells to perform critical tasks.

To drive the cell's metabolic activities, animal cells constantly create and consume energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

The difference in bioenergetics in plant and animal cells

Plants perform photosynthesis, and they are considered photosynthesizing cells. Photosynthetic cells (plant cells) obtain free energy from solar radiation absorbed, while heterotrophic cells (animal cells) obtain it from food molecules.

However, both animal and plant cells then utilize the energy to perform activities. The energy is converted into ATP and other energy-rich molecules in both types of cells.

Step 3: Role of ATP and enzymes

All cells require energy to perform metabolic activities, transporting substances across the membrane and mechanical movements such as the contraction of muscles. All such activities of the cells are achieved through the formation of ATP.

When the cell requires energy, storage molecules are converted to ATP. These ATP molecules generated then act as a shuttle and transport energy to regions of the cell where energy-requiring reactions occur.

In living cells, significant reactions requiring multiple steps would be very slow if they were not catalyzed and sped up by the employment of an enzyme. This is because the enzyme lowers the activation energy and accelerates the rate of reaction.

Thus, an enzyme catalyzes a reaction by lowering the activation energy and in its absence; the reactions are not feasible.