How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration different?

Answer 1

Photosynthesis:

• occurs in plants and some bacteria.
• only occurs in the presence of sunlight/UV light
• occurs within the chloroplasts.
• requires chlorophyll
• uses water, light energy and carbon dioxide
• produces oxygen and glucose (which are the reactants of cellular respiration)
• captures light energy to store as chemical energy
• builds up the plant's energy stores
• chemical formula is 6CO2 + 6H2O (+ light energy) C6H12O6 + 6O2
• is an anabolic reaction, i.e. simple molecules are built up into complex ones
• occurs in two phases: the light and dark reactions
• uses NADP to carry hydrogen ions
• is an endothermic process
• results in the production of carbohydrates
• captures light energy and converts it to chemical energy
• energy is solar energy converted to chemical energy

Cellular Respiration

• occurs in plants and animals.
• occurs at all times in all living organisms
• occurs within the cytoplasm and mitochondria.
• does not require chlorophyll
• uses oxygen and glucose
• produces energy (in the form of ATP), carbon dioxide, and water (which are the reactants of photosynthesis)
• chemical formula is C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy (ATP)
• is a catabolic reaction, i.e. complex molecules are broken down to simpler ones
• occurs in three phases: glycolysis, Krebs and the ETS
• uses NAD+ to carry hydrogen ions
• Is an exothermic process.
• Involves the use/consumption of carbohydrates
• takes the chemical energy resulting from photosynthesis and breaks it down, releasing energy
• energy is the stored chemical energy that originated from photosynthesis; this chemical energy is converted to other kinds of energy like heat and motion (energy required for cellular processes to occur.)

Answer 2

Photosynthesis is a process in which plants and some other organisms convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose, while releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Cellular respiration is a process in which cells break down glucose to release energy, with oxygen being used to help extract this energy from glucose. Essentially, photosynthesis captures energy to build glucose, while cellular respiration releases energy from glucose.