Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

Kevin crouched at the starting block, listening for the gunshot that would begin

ID: 35160 • Letter: K

Question

Kevin crouched at the starting block, listening for the gunshot that would begin the race. When the shot rang out, Kevin lunged forward. The strong contractions of the muscle fibers in his well-conditioned legs got him off to a quick start. The supply of ATP stored in his muscle cells was quickly used up as his muscles worked. Kevin began breathing faster, so that more oxygen would reach his muscle cells, permitting them to do _______ cellular respiration and make more ATP s. The oxygen he was inhaling traveled through his blood and into each of his muscle cells. The oxygen passed into the_________, the organelles called the powerhouses of the cell. The oxygen waited at the bottom of the_____, and caught the ______ which tumbled down the chains. As a result, Kevin s muscle cells were able to obtain 36 - 38 ATP s for each molecule of glucose burned. Kevin used every bit of this energy during the first part of the race.

As the race continued, Kevin s muscles required more energy, and therefore more oxygen, so Kevin breathed even more rapidly. Soon, however, he reached a point where he could simply not breathe any faster. His muscle cells began to run out of __________, and he had to switch from aerobic to _______ cellular respiration. He was still able to get 2 ATP s from the stage called __________, but that was not enough for his muscle cells, so they started to fatigue. During glycolysis, he was converting glucose to three-carbon molecules called ________, but since he was low on oxygen, he could not send them into the citric acid cycle. Instead, the pyruvates were changed into _______, a toxic substance which accumulated in his muscles and caused them to _______.

Explanation / Answer

Kevin crouched at the starting block, listening for the gunshot that would begin the race. When the shot rang out, Kevin lunged forward. The strong contractions of the muscle fibers in his well-conditioned legs got him off to a quick start. The supply of ATP stored in his muscle cells was quickly used up as his muscles worked. Kevin began breathing faster, so that more oxygen would reach his muscle cells, permitting them to do ____aerobic___ cellular respiration and make more ATP s. The oxygen he was inhaling traveled through his blood and into each of his muscle cells. The oxygen passed into the Mitochondria, the organelles called the powerhouses of the cell. The oxygen waited at the bottom of the cristae, and caught the _F1ATPase which tumbled down the chains. As a result, Kevin s muscle cells were able to obtain 36 - 38 ATP s for each molecule of glucose burned. Kevin used every bit of this energy during the first part of the race.

Kevin used every bit of this energy during the first part of the race.

As the race continued, Kevin s muscles required more energy, and therefore more oxygen, so Kevin breathed even more rapidly. Soon, however, he reached a point where he could simply not breathe any faster. His muscle cells began to run out of oxygen, and he had to switch from aerobic to anaerobic cellular respiration. He was still able to get 2 ATP s from the stage called glycolysis, but that was not enough for his muscle cells, so they started to fatigue. During glycolysis, he was converting glucose to three-carbon molecules called pyruvate, but since he was low on oxygen, he could not send them into the citric acid cycle. Instead, the pyruvates were changed into Lactate a toxic substance which accumulated in his muscles and caused them to fatigue.