Burning up fat, photosynthesis and other biochemical processes in an organism’s cells are termed its metabolism.
Burning up fat, photosynthesis and other biochemical processes in an organism’s cells are termed its metabolism.
Breaking down and building up
Put simply, there are two sorts of metabolic process: that of using energy to build something up and that of breaking something down to release energy. These processes are often carried out with the help of enzymes (special proteins).
Burning up fat and photosynthesis
A well-known process of breaking something down is the burning up of fat in the human body. You need energy to move. Energy is produced when you burn up fat. We need oxygen (O2) for more or less all our ‘breaking-down’ processes. The metabolisms of many bacteria and archaea actually work without oxygen. A well-known process of building something up is photosynthesis in plants and algae. These organisms use carbon dioxide (CO2) and the energy from sunlight to produce glucose (sugar) and oxygen.