What is Cellular Respiration and How does it Occur?

Both plants and animals use cellular respiration to convert stored food in the form of glucose to energy to carry out other essential functions for survival. 

This brings us to what is cellular respiration in plants.

We discuss everything about cellular respiration and how it happens in our cells. Take a look:

What Is Cellular Respiration?

Plants first build glucose by the process of photosynthesis. Cellular respiration is the process to break down this glucose (glycolysis) to form Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATPs are known as the energy currency and it is because of them that plants have the energy to carry out other essential activities. Below is the basic reaction that explains what cellular respiration is. We’ll further discuss it in detail:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATPs

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How Does Cellular Respiration Take Place?

There are three stages in which the process gets completed. Take a look:

#1.Glycolysis

It begins with the breakdown (lysis) of glucose. This step breaks down 6 carbon glucose molecules into 3 carbon pyruvate molecules. The entire process takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell and is a completely anaerobic one.

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#2.Krebs Cycle

After converting the complex glucose molecule into smaller more digestible bits, the pyruvate enters the Mitochondria of the cell in the presence of oxygen and under aerobic conditions to initiate the Krebs cycle. This step is the conversion of the pyruvate into two energy carriers: NADH and FADH2.

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#3.Electron Transplant Chain

This is the final stage of the entire process at the end of which ATPs are formed. ATPs are produced by adding certain inorganic phosphates to ADP. In the presence of oxygen, under aerobic conditions, one complete cycle produces around 38 ATPs. In the absence of oxygen, only 2 ATPs are produced.

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So, here was everything you needed to know about cellular respiration in plants. If you found this article informative, let us know in the comments below.

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