9-9-16 - WEEKLY REFLECTION
This week, we learned about cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Cellular respiration is a vital process of the cell which allows it to take in glucose and oxygen to produce ATP and expel carbon dioxide, the waste product, out of the body. ATP provides the energy for cells to do various types of work, from active transport to moving of the flagella. Photosynthesis is a chemical process that takes place in the chloroplasts in plants, and is needed to produce oxygen and glucose, by taking in water, carbon dioxide, and light energy. Sunlight serves as the catalyst for the chemical conversion of water and carbon dioxide to oxygen and glucose and allows the process to occur. As mentioned before, cellular respiration requires the usage of glucose and oxygen, and this is how photosynthesis comes into the picture. As humans, we consume glucose-containing products and breathe in oxygen (both provide by plants) in order for our bodies to perform cellular respiration. The carbon dioxide that we expel out of our bodies is then used by plants to perform photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis and cellular respiration are mutually dependent on one another and cannot exist without the other.