Difference Between Human and Bacteria Respiration
Cellular respiration processes provide the energy needed for a cell to function. Each cell in the human body carries out these processes, which enable the whole body to maintain healthy function. Bacteria organisms must also manufacture life-sustaining energy, though differences in cell structure cause different production processes to be in place.
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Cellular Respiration
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ATP, also known as adenosine triphosphate, is the energy material produced from cellular respiration, according to Arizona State University. Food materials such as lipids (fats), proteins and carbohydrates are put through a series of chemical reactions designed to convert them into ATP molecules. Parts of the cellular respiration process may require oxygen molecules. This is called aerobic respiration. The parts of the process that don't require oxygen molecules to be present are considered the anaerobic steps in the process. The differences between human and bacteria cell types require a reordering of chemical reactions during the ATP production process.
Cell Structures
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When compared with human cells, bacteria have a very basic cell structure, with fewer components available to carry out respiration processes, according to the College of DuPage. Bacteria lack a true nucleus structure, while human cells contain a nucleus compartment, along with other contained cell structures. Both cell types contain cytoplasm, which appears in between cell structures in human cells and fills most of the area inside bacteria cells. The cell structures contained inside human cells all play a part in the cell respiration process. Because bacteria cells lack these structures, cell respiration processes differ from those that take place in human cells.
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Cell Membranes
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While cell membranes are designed to create a boundary between a cell and the external environment, membrane structures play a more prominent role in the life of the bacteria cell, according to the True Origin Archive. Human cell membranes work to move nutrients in and out of the cell, while cytoplasm materials and mitochondria structures inside the cell carry out respiration functions. Bacteria cell membranes also transport nutrients in and out of the cell; however, they also coordinate much of what takes place within the cellular respiration process.
ATP Production
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Bacteria cell membranes carry out all of the functions handled by a human cell's internal structures, according to the True Origin Archive. The mitochondria are specifically designed to carry out respiration and glycolysis activities, which are both intricate, complex chemical processes. Glycolysis involves the actual breakdown of glucose molecules, which are fed back into the cell respiration process. In effect, ATP production is regulated by the bacteria cell membrane, and glycolysis processes take place along membrane walls as well.
Nutrient Transport
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The nutrients broken down during the cellular respiration process enter cell structures through the cell membrane, according to the True Origin Archive. This is true for both human and bacteria cells. Both cell types rely on pressure shifts that force nutrient materials through membrane walls. Once nutrients enter the cell, ATP respiration processes begin. Human cell mitochondria carry out these processes within designated areas of the cell, while bacteria continue to use their cell membranes to produce ATP energy.
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