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Introduction to Respiration in Plants

Respiration in plants is a process that involves the breakdown of
food materials to release energy. This energy is then used to
synthesize ATP, which is the energy currency of the cell.

Do Plants Breathe?
The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no. Plants do
require oxygen for respiration to occur, and they also give
out carbon dioxide. However, plants do not have specialized
organs for gaseous exchange like animals do. Instead, they
have stomata and lenticels that allow for gas exchange.

Reasons Why Plants Do Not Need Respiratory Organs

There are several reasons why plants do not need respiratory
organs:

 Each plant part takes care of its own gas-exchange needs

 Plants do not present great demands for gas exchange
 The distance that gases must diffuse in plants is not great, and
most cells are located close to the surface of the plant
Cellular Respiration
Cellular respiration is the process by which cells break down food
materials to release energy. This energy is then used to
synthesize ATP. The complete combustion
of glucose produces carbon dioxide and water as end products,
and yields energy that is given out as heat.

Equation for Cellular Respiration

is: C6H12O6+6O2→6CO2+6H2O+EnergyC6H12O6+6O2→6CO2
The equation for cellular respiration

+6H2O+Energy
Importance of ATP

ATP is the energy currency of the cell, and it is used to synthesize

other molecules that the cell requires. The energy released by
oxidation in respiration is not used directly, but is used to synthesize
ATP, which is then broken down whenever energy needs to be
utilized.

Glycolysis
Glycolysis is the process by which glucose is broken down to
form pyruvic acid. This process occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell
and is present in all living organisms.

Steps of Glycolysis
The steps of glycolysis are:

 Glucose is phosphorylated to form glucose-6-phosphate

 Glucose-6-phosphate is converted to fructose-6-phosphate
 Fructose-6-phosphate is converted to fructose-1,6-
bisphosphate
 Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is split into dihydroxyacetone
phosphate and 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde
 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde is converted to 1,3-
bisphosphoglycerate
 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate is converted to 3-phosphoglycerate
 3-phosphoglycerate is converted to phosphoenolpyruvate
 Phosphoenolpyruvate is converted to pyruvic acid
Table of Glycolysis Steps
Ste Energy
p Reactant Product Change

ATP
1 Glucose Glucose-6-phosphate used

2 Glucose-6- Fructose-6-phosphate None

Ste Energy
p Reactant Product Change

phosphate

Fructose-6- ATP
3 phosphate Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate used

Dihydroxyacetone
Fructose-1,6- phosphate + 3-
4 bisphosphate phosphoglyceraldehyde None

3- NADH +
phosphoglyceraldeh H+
5 yde 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate formed

1,3- ATP
6 bisphosphoglycerate 3-phosphoglycerate formed

7 3-phosphoglycerate Phosphoenolpyruvate None

Phosphoenolpyruvat ATP
8 e Pyruvic acid formed

Energy Yield of Glycolysis

The energy yield of glycolysis is 2 ATP molecules and
2 NADH + H+ molecules per molecule of glucose broken down.##
Fermentation Fermentation is a process that takes place
under anaerobic conditions in
many prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes. It is a way of
handling pyruvic acid produced by glycolysis. There are two main
types of fermentation: lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic
fermentation.

Fermentation is a metabolic process that

converts glucose into pyruvic acid, and then into lactic
acid or ethanol and carbon dioxide, depending on the type of
fermentation.

The steps involved in fermentation are:

 Pyruvic acid is converted to lactic

acid or ethanol and carbon dioxide
 The enzymes pyruvic acid decarboxylase and alcohol
dehydrogenase catalyze these reactions
 In animal cells, pyruvic acid is reduced to lactic
acid by lactate dehydrogenase

The net ATP yield from fermentation is less than 7% of the energy
in glucose. The process is also hazardous, as it
produces acid or alcohol.

Aerobic Respiration
Aerobic respiration is the process that leads to the complete
oxidation of organic substances in the presence of oxygen,
releasing carbon dioxide, water, and a large amount of energy.
This type of respiration is most common in higher organisms.

The crucial events in aerobic respiration are:

 The complete oxidation of pyruvate by the stepwise removal

of all the hydrogen atoms, leaving three molecules
of carbon dioxide
 The passing on of the electrons removed as part of
the hydrogen atoms to molecular oxygen with
simultaneous synthesis of ATP
Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle
The tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) is a cyclic pathway that
starts with the condensation of the acetyl group with oxaloacetic
acid (OAA) and water to yield citric acid. The reaction is catalyzed
by the enzyme citrate synthase.

The TCA cycle involves the following steps:

Ste
p Reaction Enzyme

1 Citrate is isomerized to isocitrate Aconitase

Isocitrate is converted to α- Isocitrate

2 ketoglutaric acid dehydrogenase

α-Ketoglutaric acid is converted to α-Ketoglutarate

3 succinyl-CoA dehydrogenase

Succinyl-CoA is oxidized to Succinyl-CoA

4 succinic acid synthetase

The TCA cycle requires the continued replenishment

of NAD+ and FAD+ from NADH and FADH2, respectively.
Electron Transport System (ETS) and Oxidative
Phosphorylation
The electron transport system (ETS) is a metabolic pathway that
releases and utilizes the energy stored in NADH+H+ and FADH2.
The energy is used to synthesize ATP from ADP and inorganic
phosphate.

The ETS involves the following steps:

 Electrons from NADH are oxidized by an NADH

dehydrogenase (complex I)
 Electrons are transferred to ubiquinone located within the
inner membrane
 Ubiquinone is oxidized with the transfer
of electrons to cytochrome c via cytochrome bc1
complex (complex III)

The number of ATP molecules synthesized depends on the nature of

the electron donor. The oxidation of one molecule of NADH gives
rise to 3 molecules of ATP, while that of one molecule
of FADH2 produces 2 molecules of ATP.

Respiratory Balance Sheet

The respiratory balance sheet is a calculation of the net gain
of ATP for every glucose molecule oxidized. The calculation can be
made only on certain assumptions, such as a sequential, orderly
pathway functioning, with one substrate forming the next.

The net ATP yield from aerobic respiration is much higher than
that from fermentation. The complete oxidation of one molecule
of glucose yields 36-38 molecules of ATP.## Aerobic Respiration
and Fermentation Aerobic respiration and fermentation are two
different processes by which cells generate energy. Aerobic
respiration is the process by which cells generate energy in the
presence of oxygen, while fermentation is the process by which
cells generate energy in the absence of oxygen.
Comparison of Aerobic Respiration and Fermentation
The following are the key differences between aerobic respiration
and fermentation:

 Glucose breakdown: In aerobic respiration, glucose is

completely broken down to carbon dioxide and water, while in
fermentation, glucose is only partially broken down to pyruvic
acid.
 ATP yield: Aerobic respiration produces a net gain of
38 ATP molecules per glucose molecule, while fermentation
produces only 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule.
 NADH oxidation: In aerobic respiration, NADH is oxidized
to NAD+ rapidly, while in fermentation, NADH is oxidized
to NAD+ slowly.
Amphibolic Pathway
The respiratory pathway is an example of an amphibolic
pathway, which means that it is involved in
both anabolism and catabolism.

An amphibolic pathway is a metabolic pathway that is involved in

both the breakdown and synthesis of molecules.

Intermediates in the Respiratory Pathway

The following are some of the intermediates in the respiratory
pathway that can be used for both anabolism and catabolism:

 Acetyl CoA: can be used for the synthesis of fatty acids or the
breakdown of fatty acids
 Pyruvic acid: can be used for the synthesis of glucose or the
breakdown of glucose
 Krebs cycle intermediates: can be used for the synthesis of
amino acids or the breakdown of amino acids
Respiratory Quotient
The respiratory quotient (RQ) is the ratio of the volume of carbon
dioxide evolved to the volume of oxygen consumed during
respiration.
The respiratory quotient is calculated as: RQ = volume of CO2
evolved / volume of O2 consumed

RQ Values for Different Substrates

The following are the RQ values for different substrates:

Substrate RQ Value

Carbohydrates 1

Fats less than 1

Proteins approximately 0.9

Oxidative Phosphorylation
Oxidative phosphorylation is the process by which energy is
generated in the form of ATP during the transfer of electrons
from NADH and FADH2 to oxygen.

Oxidative phosphorylation is the process by which the energy from

the transfer of electrons is used to generate ATP.

Electron Transport System

The electron transport system (ETS) is a series of electron
carriers that are involved in the transfer of electrons
from NADH and FADH2 to oxygen.
 Electron transport chain: a series of electron carriers that
are involved in the transfer of electrons
 Proton gradient: a gradient of protons that is generated
during the transfer of electrons
 ATP synthase: an enzyme that uses the energy from the
proton gradient to generate ATP