How does cellular respiration take place in plants?

Like in other eukaryotic organisms, plants undergo cellular respiration in the mitochondria. Glycolysis, the citric acid cycle (also called the Krebs cycle), and oxidative phosphorylation are the biochemical reactions that break down glucose to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. Besides glucose, plants can also use other organic molecules as substrates for cellular respiration, like starch and sucrose. Oxygen is needed as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain to produce ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Plants that undergo cellular respiration also release carbon dioxide and water as byproducts.

Cellular respiration in plants occurs in mitochondria, similar to animals. The process involves three main stages: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle), and oxidative phosphorylation (including the electron transport chain). During glycolysis, glucose is broken down into pyruvate in the cytoplasm. Pyruvate then enters the mitochondria where it is further broken down in the citric acid cycle, generating ATP and electron carriers NADH and FADH2. These electron carriers donate their electrons to the electron transport chain, located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. As electrons move through the electron transport chain, they release energy used to pump protons across the membrane, creating a proton gradient. The flow of protons back into the mitochondrial matrix drives the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Oxygen acts as the final electron acceptor in this process, forming water. Overall, cellular respiration in plants produces ATP, which serves as the energy currency of the cell, and provides plants with the energy needed for growth, development, and metabolism.