Which Has a Higher Metabolic Rate: Yeast Cells or Corn Seedlings?

[dphan]

1) Will yeast cells or corn seedling have a higher metabolic rate when compared on a mass specific basis?



2) How will decreasing the amount of glucose affect the rate of ATP production by the cells if the amount of yeast is held constant?

Answer: the rate of ATP production will decrease until all of the glucose available for glycolysis is used up. At this point the ATP production will become zero because no more glucose is available. (is this the correct answer?)

 

[jim mcnamara]

How do you measure metabolic rate? One way is to measure $$CO_2$$ production.

So, the question is asking how are these two different with regard to CO2 production?
(remember - the question is on a mass specific basis, so you count the mass of leaves)
What do leaves do with $$CO_2$$ - that yeast cells do not do?

 

[jim mcnamara]

#2 deals with the amount of glucose each yeast cell can get a hold of to metabolize into ATP.

This is because the number of yeast cells (say 100) stays the same, but the glucose concentration goes down. Each yeast cell has less glucose to use, less glucose=less ATP.

 

[chemisttree]

I think the metabolism is better measured by the rate of sugar or starch usage in this case. If I interpret the meaning of 'mass-specific' activity based on mass of organism, the answer is likely straightforward. What percent of the mass of the corn seedling is actually growing vs that of the yeast cell? Does the corn seedling include the monocot?