Producing Energy

[amiboverdtho]

What is the life process that all organisms use to produce energy?

[lugus]

Respiration in animals and photosynthesis in plants. Put the 'Kreb's Cycle' into a search engine for a full break down, there isn't room here.

[theprof]

Hmm. Indulge me lugus and tell me which of your two suggestions apply to fungi, yeasts and bacteria.

[Sasha13]

Respiration, surely theprof, only in those cases it's anaeorbic. Come to think of it, not sure about fungi!

[dynamicduo]

Strictly, energy is not produced as such but merely changed into a different and more useful form for the organism. The process for doing this is respiration. This can be aerobic or anaerobic. The former would release more useful energy. The most common source of the energy is glucose and with oxygen this is broken down by respiration to carbon dioxide and water. In the absence of oxygen the products of respiration are carbon dioxide and such chemicals as alcohol or lactic acid

[theprof]

I agree - it is respiration. Respiration may be loosely defined as the breakdown of foods to yield energy.

Anaerobic respiration involves a limited set of chemical reactions, known as Glycolysis, without the presence of oxygen.

Aerobic respiration involves Kreb's Cycle and the Electron transport chain as well as glycolysis, and is dependent upon oxygen. Aerobic respiration breaks the food molecules down into smaller fragments and yields more energy. It is found in all living organisms other than a few very primitive bacteria

[bunny29]

Don't forget archaea, theprof ;)