Glycolysis, in which glucose molecules are broken down to form pyruvic acid molecules; the Krebs cycle, in which pyruvic acid is further broken down and the energy in its molecule is used to form high-energy compounds such as NADH; and the electron transport system, in which electrons are transported along a series of coenzymes and cytochromes and the energy in the electrons is released and chemiosmosis, in which the energy given off by electrons is used to pump protons across a membrane and provide the energy for ATP synthesis (Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, Jackson 2014)
The present study was carried out in order to see if temperature had any direct effects on anaerobic respiration in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I hypothesized that as temperature increases, the rate will also increase, until a certain optimum temperature, after which, the rate will decrease until the rate is zero as respiration has stopped completely. As temperature increases, rate of respiration increases, because particles move faster and with more energy, which in turn means more particles collide with enough energy to react. However, as temperature increases, enzyme stability decreases, so at temperatures above the optimum temperature, the rate will decrease, until all the enzymes have been fully denatured and all the active sites have been lost. Enzymes speed up reactions in organisms. Each enzyme works on a specific substance, called its substrate.
Methods.
The Effects of Temperature.
Each of the fermentation tubes was placed in a temperature controlled environment, ranging from 4 to 65oC. One control tube was placed in a room temperature environment. The tubes were left in the temperature-controlled environment for 60 minutes, and then tested, as above, for fermentation bubbles. Each tube was measured 6 times, and an average amount for each was determined.
Results.
The effects of temperature on Saccharomyces respiration are shown to have an increase in CO2 production as temperature increased, but then declined after the temperature became too much.
