Our world is incredible due to a lot of things, and one of those things is the incredible amount of balance that exists between the living beings that coexist in this planet. As you probably have heard already, if bees stopped existing, so would we within just a few years, and if plants stopped existing, the same would happen in a smaller time frame.
In order to help you understand the incredible balance that exists in this world and how crazy it is that everything turned out to be so good for everything in existence (yes, good, even though we have all the problems we do). All of this is just mind blowing, and in this article we’re looking at the difference between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
First things first: everything in this world is made out of cells. Cells are different between themselves since one cell has a determined function, and another cell has another different functions. All of the functions that cells have exist for one common goal: to make life possible and to allow living things to prosper.
The Photosynthesis process
Photosynthesis is a chemical process, one that plants do and that we, as human beings, just find amazing. The process occurs whenever there is sunlight present, and with little more than the stores of energy that the plants create, they are able to create their own food and feed themselves. This is how they manage to survive even without moving.
There is a pigment in plants called chlorophyll, and this pigment gives them their green color. Not only that, but it is the place where the photosynthesis process takes place, since it absorbs the light that comes in from the sun, and along with water and carbon dioxide, it uses it to produce sugars that the plant will then consume.
The “consequence” that results from this process is the production of something vital for every other living creature on this planet: oxygen. The photosynthesis process releases oxygen into the air, and that is what we breathe. This means that out of merely sunlight, water and carbon dioxide, the plants are able to produce glucose for themselves, as well as oxygen to throw away, which we then use to survive.
Then the plants consume their carbohydrates (sugars) which will then give them energy for normal survival things such as reproduction, growth and some is even stored to help the plant survive harsh conditions in the future, such as a harsh winter. Just like us, the plants need their energy in order to grow and to be able to survive, but they actually produce their own food.
The major factors that affect the photosynthesis process are the sunlight (it needs to be there), the temperature (not too hot and not too cold, or else it will not work, since the plants can slow down at extreme temperatures), the existence of water (this is why you need to water your plants) and finally the existence of carbon dioxide, which pretty much does exist everywhere.
Process of Cellular Respiration
The process of cellular respiration can pretty much seem like the exact opposite of photosynthesis. In this process, both water and carbon dioxide are produce after glucose is broken down.
Then, energy is released out there, and it is then captures as ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which is a very important component in the life of every cell. Essentially, ATP is then going to be used in a lot of different cell actives that involve the consumption of energy – as said, cells have different “tasks” that they need to perform in order to keep living beings prospering.
There are two major processes in which glucose is broken down in cellular respiration: glycolysis and aerobic respiration. In the processes, the glucose is essentially broken down in order to create both water and carbon dioxide, out of the consumption of the glucose itself.
The Differences
Photosynthesis is a lot different from cellular respiration. It needs sunlight in order to produce food, and it needs to produce glucose so it requires energy. This process occurs in all plants, and some bacteria have adopted it as well. At the end of the process, oxygen is released into the atmosphere, which will then be used by other living beings to survive.
Cellular respiration is a process that uses the food created by the photosynthesis process to break it back down into energy, which will then be used by both plants and other living creatures. In this process, through the usage of glucose, energy is created (ATP).
Every living organism in this planet experiences the process of cellular respiration, as opposed to photosynthesis, which only occurs in plants and some specific types of bacteria.
Essentially, if these two processes didn’t exist and didn’t “counter” one another, there would not be the same balance between the resources used in these processes as there is today. This means that there would be a different balance between the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, as well as a different balance between the amount of energy that living organisms need to consume to survive, as well as the amount of energy that they need to use to survive.
All of this just ads to the beauty of our planet, and we can only imagine what else is out there that we are yet to discover. Certainly, other amazing processes take place in order to keep the balance in the world.