Cellular Respiration (College Board AP® Biology): Exam Questions

An agricultural biologist was evaluating two newly developed varieties of wheat as potential crops. In an experiment, seedlings were germinated on moist paper towels at 20ºC for 48 hours. Oxygen consumption of the two-day-old seedlings was measured at different temperatures. The data are shown in the graph below.  

Calculate the rates of oxygen consumption in mL/min for each variety of wheat at 7°C and at 17°C. Show your work (including your setup and calculation). 

Explain the relationship between metabolism and oxygen consumption. Discuss the effect of temperature on metabolism for each variety of seedlings. 

In a second experiment, variety A seedlings at both temperatures were treated with a chemical that prevents NADH from being oxidized to NAD+. Predict the most likely effect of the chemical on metabolism and oxygen consumption of the treated seedlings. Explain your prediction.  

Figure 3. Electron transport chain

Cellular respiration includes the metabolic pathways of glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain, as represented in the figures. In cellular respiration, carbohydrates and other metabolites are oxidized, and the resulting energy-transfer reactions support the synthesis of ATP.

Using the information above, describe ONE contribution of each of the following in ATP synthesis.

• Catabolism of glucose in glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation

• Oxidation of intermediates in the Krebs cycle

• Formation of a proton gradient by the electron transport chain

Use each of the following observations to justify the claim that glycolysis first occurred in a common ancestor of all living organisms.

• Nearly all existing organisms perform glycolysis

• Glycolysis occurs under anaerobic conditions

• Glycolysis occurs only in the cytosol

A researcher estimates that, in a certain organism, the complete metabolism of glucose produces 30 molecules of ATP for each molecule of glucose. The energy released from the total oxidation of glucose under standard conditions is 686 kcal/mol. The energy released from the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate under standard conditions is 7.3 kcal/mol. Calculate the amount of energy available from the hydrolysis of 30 moles of ATP. Calculate the efficiency of total ATP production from 1 mole of glucose in the organism. Describe what happens to the excess energy that is released from the metabolism of glucose. 

The enzymes of the Krebs cycle function in the cytosol of bacteria, but among eukaryotes the enzymes function mostly in the mitochondria. Pose a scientific question that connects the subcellular location of the enzymes in the Krebs cycle to the evolution of eukaryotes. 

Many species of bacteria grow in the mouths of animals and can form biofilms on teeth (plaque). Within plaque, the outer layers contain high levels of oxygen and the layers closest to the tooth contain low levels of oxygen. The surface of the tooth is covered in a hard layer of enamel, which can be dissolved under acidic conditions. When the enamel breaks down, the bacteria in plaque can extract nutrients from the tooth and cause cavities.

Certain types of bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus mutans) thrive in the innermost anaerobic layers of the plaque and are associated with cavities. Other types of bacteria (Streptococcus sanguinis) compete with S. mutans but are unable to thrive in acidic environments.

Identify the biochemical pathway S. mutans uses for metabolizing sugar and describe how the pathway contributes to the low pH in the inner layers of plaque.

Normal tooth brushing effectively removes much of the plaque from the flat surfaces of teeth but cannot reach the surfaces between teeth. Many commercial toothpastes contain alkaline components, which raise the pH of the mouth. Predict how the population sizes of S. mutans AND S. sanguinis in the bacterial community in the plaque between the teeth are likely to change when these toothpastes are used.

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, a substrate for the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. The rate of pyruvate conversion is greatly reduced in individuals with PDC deficiency, a rare disorder.

Identify the cellular location where PDC is most active.

Make a claim about how PDC deficiency affects the amount of NADH produced by glycolysis AND the amount of NADH produced by the Krebs (citric acid) cycle in a cell. Provide reasoning to support your claims based on the position of the PDC-catalyzed reaction in the sequence of the cellular respiration pathway.

Researchers hypothesize that the plant compound resveratrol improves mitochondrial function. To test this hypothesis, researchers dissolve resveratrol in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The solution readily passes through cell membranes. They add the resveratrol solution to mammalian muscle cells growing in a nutrient-rich solution (culture medium) that contains glucose. They measure ATP production at several time points after the addition of the resveratrol solution and find an increase in ATP production by the muscle cells.

Describe the primary advantage for a mammalian muscle cell in using aerobic respiration over fermentation.

Identify an appropriate negative control for this experiment that would allow the researchers to conclude that ATP is produced in response to the resveratrol treatment.

Predict the effect on short-term ATP production when resveratrol-treated mammalian muscle cells are grown in a culture medium that lacks glucose or other sugars.

 The researchers find that resveratrol stimulates the production of components of the electron transport chain. The researchers claim that treatment with resveratrol will also increase oxygen consumption by the cells if glucose is not limiting. Justify the claim.

Elevated levels of CO₂ increase the rate of photosynthesis and growth in plants. Scientists studying the mechanisms involved in these increases examined a variety of species and found that when plants are exposed to elevated levels of CO₂, there is an increase in the number of chloroplasts per cell. To investigate whether the elevated levels of CO₂ have a similar effect on the number of mitochondria in plant cells, the scientists then selected six of these species to quantify the number of mitochondria per cell when the plants were exposed to both normal and elevated levels of CO₂ (Table 1).

TABLE 1. AVERAGE NUMBER OF MITOCHONDRIA IN PLANTS EXPOSED TO NORMAL AND ELEVATED LEVELS OF CO₂

 Describe the role of the inner mitochondrial membrane in cellular respiration.

Using the template in the space provided for your response, construct an appropriately labeled graph that represents the data in Table 1. Determine which species show(s) a difference in the number of mitochondria between normal and elevated levels of CO₂.

Based on the data in Table 1, describe the relationship between the level of CO₂ and the average number of mitochondria per unit area of a cell.

The leaves of a particular plant species are typically green, but scientists notice a plant in which the leaves have white stripes. They determine that the stripes result from a mutation in mitochondrial DNA that interferes with the development of chloroplasts. The scientists crossed plants using pollen from the plant with white-striped leaves and ovules from a plant with green leaves. Predict the phenotype(s) of the leaves of offspring produced from this cross. Provide reasoning to justify your prediction. Explain why plants with the same genotype are able to differ in the structure and/or number of certain organelles in response to changes in atmospheric levels of CO₂.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a model organism used to study cellular respiration. Yeast cells can metabolize various sugars through glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic conditions or undergo fermentation in anaerobic conditions. A group of scientists designed an experiment to test how different sugar sources impact the rate of respiration in yeast.

The experiment was conducted as follows:

• Yeast cells were cultured in flasks containing equal concentrations of

  • glucose, a monosaccharide (monomer)

  • sucrose, a disaccharide of glucose and fructose

  • lactose, a disaccharide of glucose and galactose

• The rate of respiration was measured by the amount of CO₂ production (mL of gas per minute).

• The data collected over a 10-minute period is presented in the table below.

Table 1: CO₂ production in yeast using different sugar sources

(i) Describe the fate of the products of glycolysis.
(ii) With reference to Table 1, explain why yeast may produce different amounts of CO₂ when using glucose as a sugar source compared to sucrose.

(i) Construct an appropriately labeled bar graph that represents the data shown in Table 1.

(ii) Use the data to determine which sugar is the most efficient for yeast respiration. Provide reasoning based on the CO₂ production rates.

Using the data provided in the table, calculate the difference in total ATP production between glucose and lactose over the course of the investigation.

The scientists investigated the effect of a chemical inhibitor called cyanide on yeast respiration. Cyanide is known to inhibit cytochrome c oxidase, a key enzyme in the electron transport chain.

(i) Predict how the respiration rate of the yeast would change in the presence of this inhibitor.

(ii) Give reasoning to justify your prediction.

Elevated levels of CO₂ increase the rate of photosynthesis and plant growth. Scientists studied how this affects organelle abundance. In one experiment, they observed that elevated CO₂ led to an increased number of chloroplasts per cell. To investigate whether a similar trend occurs with mitochondria, scientists examined six plant species and measured the average number of mitochondria per 100 μm² of cell area under normal and elevated CO₂ levels. The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Average Number of Mitochondria per 100 μm² of Cell Area

In a separate case, scientists investigated a mutant plant with white-striped leaves caused by a mitochondrial DNA mutation that prevents chloroplast development. To test inheritance patterns, they crossed this mutant (used as the pollen donor) with a wild-type green-leaved plant (used as the ovule donor).

A. Describe the relationship between atmospheric CO₂ levels and the average number of mitochondria per unit area of plant cells. (1 point)
B. Identify one species from the data where the difference in mitochondrial number between conditions is statistically significant. Justify your answer using the error values. (1 point)
C. Predict the phenotype of the offspring from the cross described. Justify your prediction based on organelle inheritance. (1 point)
D. Explain how genetically identical plants can exhibit different numbers of mitochondria when grown under different atmospheric CO₂ conditions. (1 point)

Mitochondrial respiration is regulated by temperature, enzyme activity, and substrate availability. A team of researchers investigated how temperature and substrate type affect the rate of cellular respiration in isolated mitochondria extracted from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) storage roots. The mitochondria were incubated with either glucose or malate, two substrates used in different metabolic pathways. Each treatment group was exposed to either 10 °C or 30 °C, and the rate of oxygen consumption (used as a proxy for ATP production) was measured over time using a respirometer.

In each respirometer, the CO₂ produced was chemically absorbed to allow precise measurement of oxygen uptake. The researchers hypothesized that mitochondria would consume more oxygen at 30 °C and that malate would result in a higher respiration rate than glucose under both temperatures due to its more direct entry into the Krebs cycle.

A. Describe how the oxidation of malate contributes to ATP production during cellular respiration. (1 point)

B. Identify an appropriate control that would ensure any observed oxygen consumption is due to mitochondrial respiration and not another factor. (1 point)

C. Predict the oxygen consumption rates for mitochondria incubated with malate versus glucose at 30 °C. (1 point)

D. Justify your prediction using biological principles related to substrate processing and enzyme activity. (1 point)