ATP
- Organisms need energy for things such as:
- Chemical reactions to build larger molecules from smaller molecules
- Muscle contraction to allow movement
- Keeping warm (to maintain a constant temperature suitable for enzyme activity)
- Cellular respiration is an exothermic reaction that is continuously occurring in living cells
- The chemical process of cellular respiration releases energy from glucose
- The energy is transferred via the molecule Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
- ATP, produced in respiration in the mitochondria, is required for living processes to occur within cells and organisms
Uses of the energy released from respiration