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Mr Euglena Experiment

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Mr. Euglena is trapped in a crowded area and must be able to travel to a less crowded area to live. The biological processes of photosynthesis and aerobic respiration allow him to do this. Because of these two processes, energy is given to the kinetosome, which then allows the flagellum of Mr. Euglena to move him to a less crowded area. Mr. Euglena is aware that he must move to less crowded area in order to live. However, he waits patiently for the sun to gradually move higher in the sky. He believes that if he waits for enough sunlight, the process of photosynthesis will occur in his chloroplasts to make molecules of glucose. This is the beginning of the process of photosynthesis, which is the production of glucose in the chloroplasts …show more content…

The dark reaction is the second phase of photosynthesis that only requires two light reactions; therefore, it may happen all the time if there were two light reactions for every dark reaction. This process of photosynthesis requires six carbon dioxide molecules (6 CO2). These six carbon dioxide molecules (6 CO2) then go through enzymatic reactions which separates the molecules into six carbon atoms (6 C) and twelve oxygen atoms (12 O). Now the 12 NADPH2 (24 H) are added into the dark reaction. The six carbon atoms (6 C), twelve oxygen atoms (12 O), and twenty-four hydrogen atoms (24 H) then go through the Calvin Cycle which reorganizes these atoms into a product of a glucose molecule (C6H12O6) and a byproduct of six water molecules (6 H2O). This glucose molecule then becomes the key ingredient for Mr. Euglena’s aerobic respiration, the process where glucose is broken down into molecules of ATP in the presence of oxygen. A molecule of ATP is ADP having a high energy bond with phosphate (P). When this bond is broken, it releases energy in order for the cell to carry out life functions. The glucose molecule produced by the dark reaction of photosynthesis makes its way to the cristae on the inner membrane of the mitochondria. In the cristae, the process of aerobic respiration occurs. There are three steps in aerobic respiration: glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle (citric acid cycle), and the cytochrome chain (electron transport system). The first step is glycolysis. Glycolysis

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