Cellular Respiration

How do producers use the sugars produced by photosynthesis for energy? They use a process called cellular respiration to get energy that their cells can use.

Cellular respiration is a series of chemical reactions that convert certain small molecules, such as sugars, into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main molecule that cells use for energy. The inputs in this example are sugars and oxygen (O2). The outputs are ATP, carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O).

The main stages in the process that drive ATP production are glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain. Once formed, ATP can be used to drive many cellular and body processes, including building biological structures, moving molecules across cell membranes, and generating heat.

Cartoon illustration of a cell to illustrate cellular respiration.
Sugars are shown coming into the cell and connects to a box labeled glycolysis. Three arrows come out of the glycolysis box, one labeled NADH connects to a box labeled electron transport chain. A second arrow from glycolysis is labeled pyruvate and points to a cycle diagram labeled citric acid cycle cycle. A third arrow points to a shape labeled ATP. The citric acid cycle diagram has three arrows coming out of it: one points to ATP, one points to CO2, and the third is labeled NADH and points to the electron transport chain box. The electron transfer chain box has the two NADH arrows coming into it as well as an arrow from oxygen. Two arrows come out of the box, one pointing to H2O and one pointing to ATP. All the elements of respiration are inside a cell and the citric acid cycle and electron transport change are shown inside of a shape labeled mitochondrian.