Which term is one of the principal chemical compounds that living things use to store and release energy?

Which term is one of the principal chemical compounds that living things use to store and release energy?

• A. ATP
• B. Genetic drift
• C. Biodiversity
• D. Acid rain

Answer: (A)

Living cells rely on a molecule that acts as the primary energy currency. This molecule is ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Energy is stored in its three phosphate groups, held together by high-energy bonds; when a cell needs energy, it breaks the bond to remove one phosphate, producing ADP and inorganic phosphate and releasing usable energy for processes like muscle contraction, transport, and synthesis. The cell can then regenerate ATP by attaching a phosphate group again, using energy from nutrients through cellular respiration or, in photosynthetic organisms, via photosynthesis. That’s why ATP is the main chemical compound used to store and release energy in living things. The other terms describe different concepts: genetic drift (random changes in gene frequencies), biodiversity (the variety of life), and acid rain (environmental pollution), none of which serve as the cellular energy-carrying molecule.

Living cells rely on a molecule that acts as the primary energy currency. This molecule is ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Energy is stored in its three phosphate groups, held together by high-energy bonds; when a cell needs energy, it breaks the bond to remove one phosphate, producing ADP and inorganic phosphate and releasing usable energy for processes like muscle contraction, transport, and synthesis. The cell can then regenerate ATP by attaching a phosphate group again, using energy from nutrients through cellular respiration or, in photosynthetic organisms, via photosynthesis. That’s why ATP is the main chemical compound used to store and release energy in living things. The other terms describe different concepts: genetic drift (random changes in gene frequencies), biodiversity (the variety of life), and acid rain (environmental pollution), none of which serve as the cellular energy-carrying molecule.