Textbook Question
If you were to expose cells that are undergoing aerobic respiration to a radioactive oxygen isotope in the form of O2, which of the following molecules would you expect to be radiolabeled?
a. Pyruvate
b. Water
c. NADH
d. CO2
Ch. 9 - Cellular Respiration and Fermentation
Freeman8th EditionBiological ScienceISBN: 9780138276263
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - Biology: The Study of Life13
- Ch. 2 - Water and Carbon: The Chemical Basis of Life14
- Ch.3 - Protein Structure and Function10
- Ch.4 - Nucleic Acids and the RNA World10
- Ch. 5 - An Introduction to Carbohydrates10
- Ch. 6 - Lipids, Membranes, and the First Cells11
- Ch. 7 - Inside the Cell10
- Ch. 8 - Energy and Enzymes: An Introduction to Metabolism10
- Ch. 9 - Cellular Respiration and Fermentation11
- Ch. 10 - Photosynthesis12
- Ch. 11 - Cell-Cell Interactions12
- Ch. 12 - The Cell Cycle8
- Ch. 13 - Meiosis12
- Ch. 14 - Mendel and the Gene23
- Ch. 15 - DNA and the Gene: Synthesis and Repair15
- Ch. 16 - How Genes Work16
- Ch. 17 - Transcription, RNA Processing, and Translation16
- Ch. 18 - Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria16
- Ch. 19 - Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes12
- Ch. 20 - The Molecular Revolution: Biotechnology, Genomics, and New Frontiers15
- Ch. 21 - Genes, Development, and Evolution12
- Ch. 22 - Evolution by Natural Selection16
- Ch. 23 - Evolutionary Processes13
- Ch. 24 - Speciation15
- Ch. 25 - Phylogenies and the History of Life13
- Ch. 26 - Bacteria and Archaea15
- Ch. 27 - Diversification of Eukaryotes16
- Ch. 28 - Green Algae and Land Plants16
- Ch. 29 - Fungi18
- Ch. 30 - An Introduction to Animals9
- Ch. 31 - Protostome Animals15
- Ch. 32 - Deuterostome Animals17
- Ch. 33 - Viruses16
- Ch. 34 - Plant Form and Function16
- Ch. 35 - Water and Sugar Transport in Plants16
- Ch. 36 - Plant Nutrition13
- Ch. 37 - Plant Sensory Systems, Signals, and Responses16
- Ch. 38 - Flowering Plant Reproduction and Development16
- Ch. 39 - Animal Form and Function17
- Ch. 40 - Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals16
- Ch. 41 - Animal Nutrition16
- Ch. 42 - Gas Exchange and Circulation16
- Ch. 43 - Animal Nervous Systems16
- Ch. 44 - Animal Sensory Systems16
- Ch. 45 - Animal Movement11
- Ch. 46 - Chemical Signals in Animals16
- Ch. 47 - Animal Reproduction and Development16
- Ch. 48 - The Immune System in Animals16
- Ch. 49 - An Introduction to Ecology15
- Ch. 50 - Behavioral Ecology16
- Ch. 51 - Population Ecology16
- Ch. 52 - Community Ecology20
- Ch. 53 - Ecosystems and Global Ecology17
- Ch. 54 - Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology18
Chapter 9, Problem 8
The researchers who observed that magnetite was produced by bacterial cultures from the deep subsurface carried out a follow-up experiment. These biologists treated some of the cultures with a drug that poisons the enzymes involved in electron transport chains. In cultures where the drug was present, no more magnetite was produced. Does this result support or undermine their hypothesis that the bacteria in the cultures perform cellular respiration? Explain your reasoning.
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Begin by understanding the hypothesis. The researchers hypothesize that the bacteria in the cultures perform cellular respiration, which is a process that involves electron transport chains to generate energy.
Step 2: Analyze the experimental setup. The researchers treated some bacterial cultures with a drug that poisons enzymes involved in electron transport chains. This drug would disrupt cellular respiration if the bacteria rely on it.
Step 3: Examine the results. In the cultures treated with the drug, no magnetite was produced. This suggests that the production of magnetite is dependent on the bacteria's ability to perform cellular respiration.
Step 4: Connect the results to the hypothesis. Since the drug disrupted magnetite production by interfering with electron transport chains, this supports the hypothesis that the bacteria perform cellular respiration as part of the process leading to magnetite production.
Step 5: Conclude the reasoning. The experiment demonstrates a direct link between cellular respiration and magnetite production, reinforcing the idea that the bacteria rely on electron transport chains for this function.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Cellular Respiration
Cellular respiration is a metabolic process in which cells convert nutrients into energy, primarily in the form of ATP, while producing waste products. This process typically involves glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. In bacteria, this can occur anaerobically or aerobically, depending on the organism and environmental conditions.
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Introduction to Cellular Respiration
Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes located in the inner mitochondrial membrane (or the plasma membrane in bacteria) that facilitate the transfer of electrons derived from nutrients. This process generates a proton gradient that drives ATP synthesis. Inhibition of the ETC can halt cellular respiration, leading to a lack of energy production and, in this case, the cessation of magnetite production.
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07:41Electron Transport Chain
Magnetite Production
Magnetite is a magnetic iron oxide produced by certain bacteria as a byproduct of their metabolic processes, often linked to their respiratory activities. The production of magnetite can indicate that the bacteria are engaging in cellular respiration, as it is typically associated with the reduction of iron ions during energy generation. Thus, the absence of magnetite in the presence of an ETC-inhibiting drug suggests a disruption in the bacteria's ability to perform respiration.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
In step 3 of the citric acid cycle, the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase is regulated by NADH. Compare and contrast the regulation of this enzyme with the regulation of phosphofructokinase in glycolysis.
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Textbook Question
Explain the relationship between electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. How do uncoupling proteins 'uncouple' this relationship in brown adipose tissue?
Textbook Question
Cyanide (C ≡ N−) blocks complex IV of the electron transport chain. Suggest a hypothesis for what happens to the ETC when complex IV stops working. Your hypothesis should explain why cyanide poisoning in humans is fatal.
Textbook Question
Early estimates suggested that the oxidation of glucose via aerobic respiration would produce 38 ATP. Based on what you know of the theoretical yields of ATP from cellular respiration, show how this total was determined. Why do biologists now think this amount of ATP per molecule of glucose is not achieved in cells?