Can Global Warming Have an Effect on Cellular Respiration?

Global warming affects cellular respiration because temperature influences the rate of chemical reactions. Cellular respiration is the process by which living cells convert chemical energy stored as sugars into usable energy and is driven by the Krebs cycle (or citric acid cycle) of enzymatic reactions in those cells that utilize oxygen. As temperature increases, the rate of these reactions increases until the heat starts to denature (breakdown) the enzymes, at which point the rate of the reactions slows down and eventually stops.

How It Works

• Not too hot, not too cold

  Cellular respiration is carried out by a series of enzymes (chemically active proteins) that convert glucose (C6H12O6) into carbon dioxide, water and energy. These enzymes are complex molecules, and too much heat causes them to break apart (denature), reducing and eventually stopping their metabolic functions.

  Under optimal conditions (for humans, around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) the concentration of glucose, enzymes, oxygen and water is ideal for maximum efficiency.

Significance

• Turtles are threatened by changes in their environments.

  Living organisms have evolved over millions of years to survive under specific environmental conditions. If these conditions (temperature, access to food, etc.) change too drastically the organism will die.
  If an entire species of organisms is unable to adapt to a warming climate or other changing conditions the species can go extinct, which then impacts other organisms that feed on that species or interact with it in other ways (as prey, parasites, symbionts, etc.).

Considerations

• Warmer temperatures may lead to higher crop yields in certain places

  Global warming will affect different organisms in different ways. For organisms currently living in environments towards the colder end of what they are able to tolerate, global warming may result in increasing numbers and the spread of the species to areas that were previously too cold.
  Some areas may experience longer growing seasons and increased biological diversity, while other areas may undergo desertification as it becomes too hot for many organisms to survive.

Misconceptions

• Warming oceans make it difficult for coral reefs to survive.

  Homeostasis is the ability of living organisms to maintain a stable internal environment in the face of variations in their external environment. This ability to maintain the conditions necessary to sustain life has allowed living organisms to inhabit extreme environments, from the intense heat of sulphur vents on the ocean floor to the freezing cold of Antarctica.

  What is not known, however, is what organisms will survive if global warming occurs faster than organisms can adapt.

Theories/Speculation

• Strong science helps support good decision making.

  The impacts of global warming will be shared unequally by all the species of life on earth. Some countries may benefit from greater food security or reduced heating bills while other countries may be at risk of flooding, desertification or the spread of pests and disease. For each species, the efficiency of the organism depends on the efficiency of cellular respiration, which is sensitive to temperature changes.