Question

why must plants do cellular respiration like animals? why?
how is cellular respiration dependent upon an animal’s respiration rate? how?

Explanation:

First Question: Why must plants do cellular respiration like animals?

Cellular respiration is the process of breaking down glucose to release energy (ATP) that cells use for various metabolic activities. Both plants and animals are living organisms with cells that need energy to perform functions like growth, repair, transport of substances, and maintenance of cellular processes. Even though plants perform photosynthesis to make glucose, they still need to break down that glucose (via cellular respiration) to utilize the energy stored in it, just like animals which obtain glucose from food. So the energy requirement for essential cellular functions drives both plants and animals to perform cellular respiration.

An animal’s respiration rate (rate of breathing, taking in O₂ and releasing CO₂) affects the supply of oxygen to cells. Cellular respiration (specifically aerobic respiration) requires oxygen to break down glucose efficiently (in the mitochondria, in the presence of O₂, glucose is fully oxidized to CO₂, H₂O, and ATP). A higher respiration rate means more oxygen is taken in, which can increase the rate of cellular respiration as more O₂ is available for the process. Conversely, a lower respiration rate limits O₂ supply, reducing the rate of aerobic cellular respiration (cells may switch to less efficient anaerobic respiration if O₂ is too low). So the respiration rate controls O₂ availability, which is a key reactant for (aerobic) cellular respiration.

Answer:

Plants, like animals, need energy (ATP) for cellular functions (growth, repair, metabolism). Photosynthesis makes glucose, but cellular respiration breaks it down to release usable energy, so plants must respire to meet energy needs, similar to animals.

Second Question: How is cellular respiration dependent upon an animal’s respiration rate?