Respiration

Respiration Let's first take a look at the movement of energy through the biosphere. Be certain to keep in mind the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics. The First Law states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed; the Second Law deals with the fact that while the conversion process is 100% efficient, some energy is always 'lost' to entropy and shows up as heat. Be certain that you understand these energy relationships. They are …

…In aerobic respiration, a net total of 36 ATPs can be made from one glucose molecule. By contrast, only two ATPs are netted during fermentation. What does this mean evolutionarily? Probably that primitive anaerobic organisms were not very efficient in preserving the energy trapped by organic molecules. You may take a quiz on the material in this module. No record of the quiz is made. You decide after the quiz if you really know this material.