We all know that trees release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis for us to breathe but do you know why they do this? It’s so your cells can perform cellular respiration and make ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Both cellular respiration and photosynthesis are parts of a valuable relationship.  Photosynthesis cannot happen without cellular respiration and cellular respiration cannot happen without photosynthesis!

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Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are opposites of one another. Photosynthesis is an anabolic process, whereas cellular respiration is a catabolic process. Let us explore more differences between cellular respiration and photosynthesis!

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Photosynthesis:
Photosynthesis is the process where green plants and other organisms turn light energy into chemical energy that happens in the chloroplasts. During this process in green plants, the light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.

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Photosynthesis Formula
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Carbon dioxide + Water →  Glucose + Oxygen

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Why is it Important to us?
Because Photosynthesis is a necessity for the vast majority of life on Earth! Additionally, almost all the oxygen in the atmosphere is because of the process of photosynthesis. If photosynthesis stopped, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth, most organisms would disappear, and Earth’s atmosphere would eventually become nearly oxygen-free!

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Cellular Respiration:
Cellular respiration is the process by which individual cells break down food molecules, such as glucose and release energy. It occurs in the cells of all living things in the mitochondria! 

 

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Cellular respiration has three main steps:
Step 1 (Glycolysis): Glucose (sugar) is split into smaller pieces in the cell's cytoplasm. This happens without oxygen and creates a little bit of energy.
Step 2 (Krebs Cycle/ Citric Acid Cycle): The smaller pieces move into the mitochondria (the cell's "powerhouse") and are broken down even more. This releases carbon dioxide and captures more energy.
Step 3 (Electron Transport Chain): Using oxygen, the mitochondria uses the captured energy from the previous steps to make a large amount of usable energy called ATP, which powers all the cell's activities.

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Cellular Respiration Formula
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O 
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water

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Why is it important?
Cellular respiration is important because it provides cells with the energy they need to function. If living things could not get the energy they need out of food, it would be absolutely worthless. All living things would eventually die, no matter the quality and amount of food!

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