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7.4A: Mitochondria

  • Page ID
    3214
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    Briefly describe mitochondria and state their function.
  • State where in the mitochondria the electron transport chain is located.
  • State where in the mitochondria the enzymes for the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) are located.
  • alt
    Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\).1.1: Two mitochondria from mammalian lung tissue displaying their matrix and membranes as shown by electron microscopy. from Louisa Howard (public domain.

    Mitochondria function during aerobic respiration to produce ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. The respiratory enzymes and electron carriers for the electron transport system are located within the inner mitochondria membrane. The enzymes for the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) are located in the matrix.

    • Electron micrograph of mitochondria courtesy of Dennis Kunkel's Microscopy.
    • Electron micrograph of a mitochondrion from the Biology Department at the University of New Mexico.
    Concept map for Eukaryotic Cell Structure

    Summary

    1. Mitochondria are rod-shaped structures ranging from 2 to 8 micrometers in length surrounded by two membranes.
    2. Mitochondria are located throughout the cytoplasm.
    3. Mitochondria function during aerobic respiration to produce ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
    4. The respiratory enzymes and electron carriers for the electron transport system are located within the inner mitochondria membrane. The enzymes for the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) are located in the matrix.
    5. Mitochondria replicate giving rise to new mitochondria as they grow and divide. They also have their own DNA and ribosomes.

    Questions

    Study the material in this section and then write out the answers to these questions. Do not just click on the answers and write them out. This will not test your understanding of this tutorial.

    1. Briefly describe mitochondria and state their function.
    2. State where in the mitochondria the electron transport chain is located.
    3. State where in the mitochondria the enzymes for the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) are located.

    This page titled 7.4A: Mitochondria is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gary Kaiser via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.