Comparative Analysis

Throughout hundreds of years, generations of scientists have been trying to identify from where energy comes from. Eventually scientists came to discover two ways energy is made: photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Photosynthesis is a process carried out by green plants in which visible light is trapped and the energy is used to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds. After photosynthesis occurs, plants go into cellular respiration. Cellular Respiration is a catabolic pathway by which electrons are removed from molecules and passed through electron carriers to oxygen, generating water and releasing energy. Even though plants go from photosynthesis to cellular respiration, there are many differences and similarities in the two processes.

Although all plant cells go through photosynthesis, most, but not all go through cellular respiration. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration do have some things in common. For example, they both have cycles, but while photosynthesis has the Calvin Cycle, cellular respiration has the Krebs Cycle. Also while photosynthesis has light reaction, cellular respiration has glycolysis. Although both cellular respiration and photosynthesis are alike, when it comes down to details, things are a bit more complicated than they seem.

Take inputs and outputs for example. In light reaction(photosynthesis), light, oxygen and carbon dioxide goes in and NADPH and ATP comes out. This is similar to Glycolysis(cellular respiration) because ATP also comes out in Glycolysis. However while light reaction puts in light oxygen, and carbon dioxide, glycolysis puts in only glucose and puts out pyrubate and ATP.

In the Calvin Cycle, it inputs NADPH and ATP and outputs glucose. The Kreb Cycle inputs pyrubate and outputs carbon dioxide, NADPH, and FADH. The Calvin and Kreb cycles do not have any similarities like light reaction and glycolysis. However, both cycles must be used in photosynthesis and cellular respiration to create energy.

The Krebs Cycle is a series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to release stored energy through carbon dioxide. The Calvin Cycle uses ATP and NADPH generated in the light reaction to produce G3P and is used as a starting material for the production of glucose and other carbohydrates. Even though the Calvin Cycle and Krebs Cycle do not have many similarities, they do have a few things in common. First of all both molecules end with the same molecule they started at. Calvin Cycle with carbon dioxide and Krebs Cycle with ATP. Also, both cycles use energy.

Even though energy is used in both the Calvin Cycle and the Krebs Cycle they are used for different things. The Calvin Cycle uses energy to make sugar whilst the Krebs Cycle produces energy to get to the next stage of cellular respiration. Another big difference between the two cycles is that the Calvin Cycle happens in plants while the Krebs Cycle happens in animals. There are other big differences such as the Calvin Cycle occurs in chloroplasts,