Why do consumers perform cellular respiration?

Answer 1

The key here is how does one obtain its energy to perform its everyday processes. A producer converts light energy from the sun into chemical energy via photosynthesis into glucose and glucose is the basic unit utilized for the ultimate energy output. Now, a consumer that "consumes" a primary producer such as grass (envision a cow here), needs to convert the chemical energy of the plant/grass that it just consumed into some thing that it can utilize to perform its day to day functions. When a consumer consumes it is digesting sugars such as glucose, which the primary producer itself produces from the sun. Now cellular respiration: C6H12O6 + O2 -> 6H20 + 6H20 + Energy. Cellular respiration is a catabolic reaction were a large molecule such as glucose is broken down and releases energy. In this reaction the release of energy from the breakdown of the large molecule of glucose that was acquired into the body by consuming grass is now provided available energy that the consumer can now use to perform its everyday functions