Aerobic cellular respiration and oxygenic photosynthesis are two cellular proces

Question

Aerobic cellular respiration and oxygenic photosynthesis are two cellular processes that evolved in a similar matter. Define and describe the two processes and describe how the processes are related (for example: products, reactants, biochemical pathways). Finally, provide evidence to show that oxygenic photosynthesis evolved before aerobic cellular respiration.

Description of cellular respiration ; Description of photosynthesis ; Comparison of cellular respiration and photosynthesis ; Evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis before aerobic cellular respiration

Abbreviations you can use - ATP, NAD+, NADH, FAD, FADH2, NADP, NADPH

Abbreviations you CANNOT use - CO2, O2, H2O

Explanation / Answer

1st Question Answered

Light energy is captured by organelles called chloroplast and used to drive electron up the molecules, generated by hydrolysis of water finally creating NADPH. In another subset of reactions NADPH, carbon dioxide absorbed and ATP generated by proton gradient driven ATPase forms Trioses eventually storing the energy as Starch. In Aerobic Respiration Glucose, the monomer of Starch is broken down first in Cytoplasm ( by a set of reactions called Glycolysis) producing Pyruvic Acid, it is then transported to mitochondria where then is broken down to Acetyl CoA , releasing Carbon dioxide. This Acetyl CoA is taken into a set of reactions called the TCA cycle or Citric Acid Cycle producing FADH2 and NADH which is used to generate proton gradient which then drives ATP pump generating ATP, oxygen being the final electron acceptor in this case.

Both the processes using proton gradients to drive ATP pump to generate ATP while the ATP generated in photosynthesis is used to generate Trioses, ATP itself is the product of Aerobic respiration.

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