CHAPTER 9 LESSON

1 Energy and Life

READING TOOL Main Idea As you read the lesson, complete the main idea
table for each heading. The first one has been completed for you.

Heading Main Idea

Chemical Energy and ATP Chemical energy is contained in the bonds between atoms.
ATP is the molecule that organisms use to temporarily store
energy.

• Storing Energy

• Releasing Energy

• How Cells Use ATP

Heterotrophs and Autotrophs

Lesson Summary
Chemical Energy and ATP
As you read, circle KEY QUESTION Why is ATP useful to cells?
the answers to each Key
Cells require energy to perform work, and energy makes life
Question. Underline any
words you do not understand. possible. We humans cannot use sunlight as a source of energy,
but must take in food made by other organisms, plant or animal,
to acquire energy. We are heterotrophs.
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 Energy comes in many forms, including light, heat, and
electricity. Energy can be stored in chemical compounds, too.
For example, when you light a candle, the wax melts, soaks into
BUILD Vocabulary
the wick, and is burned. As the candle burns, chemical bonds adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) compound used by cells to
between carbon and hydrogen atoms in the wax are broken. store and release energy
New bonds then form between these atoms and oxygen,
Word Origins The name
producing CO2 and H2O (carbon dioxide and water). These new photosynthesis comes from the
bonds are at a lower energy state than the original chemical Greek words phós (light) and
bonds in the wax. The energy is released as heat and light in synthesis (putting together).
the glow of the candle’s flame.  What other words do you know
that begin with the prefix photo-?
Storing Energy All living cells store energy in the chemical
bonds of certain compounds. Of these compounds, one of
the most important is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP
consists of adenine, a 5-carbon sugar called ribose, and three
phosphate groups. The phosphate groups are the key to ATP’s
ability to store and release energy. Adding a phosphate group
to adensosine diphosphate (ADP) adds energy to the molecule
and changes it to ATP. When a cell requires this energy, it
removes the third phosphate group from ATP, changing it to
ADP again.

Releasing Energy ATP can release energy by breaking the

bonds between its phosphate groups. This characteristic of ATP
makes it exceptionally useful as a basic energy source for all
cells. ATP is the most immediate source of energy for cells.

How Cells Use ATP Cells use the energy provided by ATP
to carry out active transport. Many cell membranes contain
sodium-potassium pumps, which are membrane proteins that
pump sodium ions (Na+) out of the cell and potassium ions (K+)
into the cell. ATP provides the energy that keeps this pump
working, which involves maintaining a carefully-regulated
balance of ions on both sides of the cell membrane. The energy
stored in ATP also enables cells to move, providing power for
motor proteins that contract muscles and generate the wavelike
movement of cilia and flagella.
Energy from ATP can be transferred to other molecules in
the cell to power processes such as protein synthesis. The
chemical energy from ATP can even be converted to light.
In fact, the blink of a firefly comes from an enzyme that is
powered by ATP!
Most cells have only enough ATP to last for a few seconds of
activity. ATP is not a good molecule for storing large amounts
of energy over the long term. A single molecule of the sugar
glucose, for example, stores more than 90 times the energy
required to add a phosphate group to ADP to produce ATP.
Therefore, it is more efficient for cells to keep only a small
supply of ATP on hand. Cells regenerate ATP from ADP as
needed by using the energy in sugars and other sources.

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 Heterotrophs and Autotrophs
BUILD Vocabulary
photosynthesis process used
KEY QUESTION What happens during the process of
by plants and other autotrophs to photosynthesis?
capture light energy and store it in All animals obtain the chemical energy they need from the
energy-rich carbohydrates such as
sugars and starches food they consume. Animals are known as heterotrophs,
which are organisms that obtain energy by consuming other
organisms.
READING TOOL Some heterotrophs eat plants and are known as herbivores.
Compare and Contrast Others, such as the heron, consume other animals and
Heterotrophs cannot make their are known as carnivores. Animals that eat both plants and
own energy, so they obtain it from other animals are known as omnivores. Decomposers are
eating other living organisms, such heterotrophs that consume dead organisms and the wastes
as autotrophs.  What are the two of living organisms. A mushroom is one example of a
different types of autotrophs, and
decomposer.
which is more common on our
planet? Autotrophs are organisms that make their own food using
an external source of energy. Most autotrophs use sunlight
as a source of energy and are known as photoautotrophs.
Chemoautotrophs use chemicals as a source of energy, and
are found only near vents on the ocean floor. Photosynthesis
is the process by which photoautotrophs convert light energy
into chemical energy. Photosynthetic organisms include plants,
algae, and bacteria known as cyanobacteria. Nearly all life on
Earth depends on autotrophs that capture sunlight energy and
synthesize high-energy carbohydrates—sugars and starches—
that can be used as food.

Visual Reading Tool: Adenosine Triphosphate

P P P

1. Label the ATP shown above.

2. Which part of the structure is a type of sugar?

3. Which part contains important bonds that store energy?

4. How does ADP get converted to ATP?

5. Which molecule has a higher potential energy. ADP or ATP?

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