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Essay about Compare Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

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Both photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the main pathways of energy transportation in organisms. However, the reactants and the products are exact opposites in photosynthesis and in cellular respiration. In photosynthesis, cells take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) by absorbing energy from the sun, and then the cells release oxygen (O2) and store glucose (C6H12O6). The formula of photosynthesis is:
Light energy
6CO2+6H2O → C6H12O6+6O2
In cellular respiration, glucose and oxygen are taken into the cells, then they are converted to carbon dioxide, water and ATP energy and some other energy. Some of the ATP energy is used in photosynthesis; a large amount of …show more content…

The light reactions also generate ATP by using chemiosmosis through a process called photosphorylation. The light energy is converted into chemical energy in the form of two compounds, which are NADPH and ATP. The Calvin cycle occurs with the incorporation of carbon dioxide into organic molecules in carbon fixation. In this process, the fixed carbon is reduced with electrons provided by NADPH. The Calvin cycle takes place during daylight hours, in which the NADPH and ATP can be provided. The Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma, while the light reactions occur in the thylakoids. In contrast, there are four metabolic stages happened in cellular respiration, which are the glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the oxidative phosphorylation. Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm, in which catabolism is begun by breaking down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate. Two molecules of ATP are produced too. Some of they either enter the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) or the electron transport chain, or go into lactic acid cycle if there is not enough oxygen, which produces lactic acid. The citric acid cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix, which completes the breakdown of glucose by oxidizing a derivative of pyruvate into carbon dioxide. The citric acid cycle produced some more ATPs and other molecules called NADPH and FADPH. After this, electrons are passed to the electron transport chain through

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