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RESPIRATION IN PLANTS

All Iiving organisms need energy for carrying Cellular respiration is the mechanism of
out daily life activities, like absorption, transport, breakdown of food material within the cell to release
energy, and trapping it for synthesis of ATP. The
movement, reproduction or even breathing
process takes place in the cytoplasm and in
the mitochondria.

INTRODUCTION
All the energy required for ‘life’ processes is The compounds that are oxidised during this

obtained by oxidation of macromolecules, process are called the respiratory substrates

called food like carbohydrates, proteins, fats and even

organic acids

The process involves a series of slow step-wise reactions

controlled by enzymes and the released energy is trapped as

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chemical energy in the form of ATP, which is broken down
whenever and wherever energy needs to be utilised

Y S I C
DO PLANTS BREATHE?

P H A H t
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Plants have systems in place to ensure O2 Each plant part takes care of its own gas Roots, stems and leaves respire at rates Most cells of a plant have at least a part of

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availability, i.e. stomata and lenticels for exchange needs. There is very little transport far lower than animals do their surface in contact with air.

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this purpose. of gases from one plant part to another

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Complete combustion of glucose produces
CO2 and H2O as end products and yields But plants oxidise glucose in several small Facultative and obligate anaerobes, can All organisms retain this strategy of partial
energy most of which is given as heat steps and energy released is coupled to respire in absence of O2 glucose oxidation in absence of oxygen
C6HI2O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy ATP synthesis called GLYCOLYSIS.

GLYCOIYSIS Glucose (6C)

ATP
Hexokinase
ADP
• Greek-glycos - sugar and lysis = splitting
Glucose-6-phosphate (6C)
• Scheme given by Embden, Meyerhof and Parnas. referred as EMP- pathway
• In anaerobic organisms, it is the only process in respiration
• Occurs in cytoplasm and present in all living organisms. Fructose-6-phosphate (6C)
ATP
• In this process glucose undergoes partial oxidation to form two molecules of
ADP
pyruvic acid.
Fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate (6C)
• In plants, glucose comes from sucrose (the end product of photosynthesis)
or from storage carbohydrates Triose phosphate
Triose phosphate (glyceraldehyde- 3 phosphate)
(Dihydroxy
• Sucrose is converted into glucose and fructose by invertase and these acetone phosphate)
(3C)
monosaccharides readily enter the glycolytic pathway NAD+ (3C)
NADH+H+ x 2
• In glycolysis, a chain of ten reactions produces pyruvate from glucose by the
2 × Triose bisphosphate [1,3 bisphosphoglyceric acid) (3C)
help of different enzymes.
ADP
• In glycolysis 2 ATP are utilised and total 4 ATP, 2 NADH+H+ and 2 molecules 2 x ATP

of pyruvic acid are produced. 2 × Triose phosphate (3-phosphoglyceric acid) (3C)

• Pyruvic acid is the key product of glycolysis and its metabolic fate depends
on cellular need.
2 × 2-phosphoglycerate
UNDER
Lactic acid fermentation 2 x H2O
ANAEROBIC
PYRUVIC ACID Alcoholic fermentation CONDITIONS
2 × phosphoenolpyruvate
Krebs’ cycle AEROBIC; Needs O2 supply ADP
2 x ATP STEPS OF GLYCOLYSIS
2 × Pyruvic acid (3C)
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FERMENTATION Glucose
Major pathways of Anaerobic respiration
• In fermentation, by yeast, incomplete oxidation of glucose is achieved under anaerobic

conditions to produce CO2 and ethanol, by the help of enzymes pyruvate decarboxylase

and alcohol dehydrogenase. Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Lactic acid

NAD+ NAD+
• Bacteria and in animal cells (muscles during exercise, when oxygen is inadequate for
NADH+H+ NADH+H+
cellular respiration) pyruvate is reduced to lactic acid by lactate dehydrogenase.

• Less than 7% of the energy in glucose is released 3-Phosphoglyceric acid Pyruvic acid

• Also the processes are hazardous as either acid or alcohol is produced. NADH+H+

• Yeast poison themselves to death when concentration of alcohol reaches about 13%. NAD+
Phosphoenol Pyruvic acid Ethanol + CO2

AEROBIC RESPIRATION
In eukaryotes, it takes place in
mitochondria. Leads to complete oxidation
This type of respiration is most

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1. 2.
of organic substances, in the presence
common in higher organisms

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of oxygen and releases CO2, water and a

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large amount of energy present in the

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substrate.

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Crucial events of aerobic respiration are

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For aerobic respiration to take place

3. 4.
a. Complete oxidation of pyruvic

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within mitochondria, the final product of
acid - site = Mitochondrial matrix
glycolysis is transported into

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b ETS and synthesis of ATP - site = Inner
mitochondria from cytoplasm

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mitochondrial membrane.

TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE (TCA cycle or Kreb’s cycle)

(In mitochondrial matrix)

• First reaction of Kreb’s cycle is condensation, then isomerisation.

OAA
AcetyCoA
Citrate synthase
Citric Acid
Isomerises
Isocitrate
W A L
• Acetyl CoA produced by oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvic acid enters the TCA
cycle more commonly known as Krebs’ cycle. (Scientist Hans Kreb)

• Followed by two successive decarboxylation to form a-ketoglutarate and the succinyl CoA
• During conversion of succinyl CoA to succinic acid, substrate level phosphorylation takes
place to produce GTP which in a coupled reaction simultaneously produces ATP.

• The summary equation for this phase of respiration is:

Pyruvate + 4NAD+ + FAD+ + 2H2O + ADP + Pi

MITOCHONDERIAL
3CO2 + 4NADH + 4H+ + FADH2 + ATP FADH2
MATRIX FAD+

• So, per molecule of glucose, 8 NADH+H+, two FADH2, and 2 ATP are synthesised from
pyruvic acid.

AMPHIBOLIC PATHWAY
Respiratory pathway is involved in both anabolism and catabolism hence it is called amphibolic pathway.

Fats Carbohydrates Protein

Simple sugars Amino acids

Fatty acids and glycerol
e.g., Glucose

Glucose 6-phosphate

Fructose 1,6 bisphosphate

Dihydroxy Acetone Phosphate Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate

Pyruvic acid

Acetyl CoA

H2O
Krebs’
cycle
CO2
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ELECTRON TRANSPORT SYSTEM (ETS) AND

OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
• NADH+H+ and FADH2 are oxidised through ETS and the electrons are passed on to O2 resulting in
formation of H2O through various complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane

• NADH dehydrogenase (Complex-I) and FADH2 (Complex-II) transfers electrons to

Ubiquinone Ubiquinol cyt bc1 (complex III)

(reduced ubiquinone)

Complex IV cyt c
(Cytochrome c oxidase) (Mobile carrier)

• When electrons pass from one carrier to another via complex-I to IV in ETC. they are coupled to ATP synthase
(complex-V) for production of ATP from AOP and inorganic phosphate

• Oxidation of one NADH gives 3 ATP, while one FADH2 gives two ATP.
• The role of oxygen is limited to the terminal stage. Yet the presence of oxygen is vital, since it drives the
whole process by removing hydrogen from the system. Oxygen is the final acceptor of hydrogen and electrons.

• Complex-V has two major components, F0-F1 is peripheral membrane protein complex and contains
site for ATP synthesis and F0 forms the channel through which protons cross the inner membrane.

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The passage of protons through the channel is coupled to the catalytic site of F1 for production

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of ATP. For each ATP produced. 2H+ passes through F0 from the intermembrane space to matrix

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down the electrochemical proton gradient

P H Y H
RESPIRATORY BALANCE SHEET

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(In reality it is a theoretical exercise as all pathways work

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simultaneously and do not take place one after another. Enzymatic

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rates are controlled by multiple means.)

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There can be a net gain In fermentation there NADH is oxidised to
of 38 ATP molecules is net gain of only NAD- slowly in fermentation,
during aerobic respiration 2 ATP for each molecule however the reaction
of one molecule of glucose degraded is| very vigorous in case
of glucose of aerobic respiration.

RESPIRATORY QUOTIENT = (RQ)

01 The ratio of volume of CO2 evolve to

02 It depends on the type of respiratory
03 For, carbohydrates = 1
the volume of O2 consumed is RQ. substrate, used during respiration Fat = less than 1. (eg-tripalmitin=0.7)
Voluem of CO2 evolved Protein = about 0.9
RQ=
Voluem of O2 consumed

• Breaking of C-C bonds of complex organic molecules leads to release of lot of energy in cellular respiration.

• Glucose is the preferred substrate, though fats and protein can also yield energy

• Fermentation takes place in many prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes and in germinating seeds

• In aerobic respiration O2 is ultimate electron acceptor and it gets reduced to water