Tanya is on the high school track team and runs the 100-meter sprint. Marissa is on the cross-country team and runs 5-kilometer races. Explain which type of respiration the muscle cells in each runner's legs use
• Both Tanya and Marissa use anaerobic respiration
• Both Tanya and Marissa use aerobic respiration
• Tanya uses aerobic, Marissa uses anaerobic respiration
-Tanya uses anaerobic, Marissa uses aerobic respiration
-Tanya uses anaerobic, Marissa uses aerobic respiration.
Here's an explanation:
**Tanya**, who is a 100-meter sprinter, engages in a high-intensity, short-duration event that demands a rapid supply of energy that cannot be fully met by aerobic respiration due to the short time frame. Therefore, her muscle cells will rely more heavily on **anaerobic respiration** to quickly generate energy. Anaerobic respiration does not require oxygen and can produce energy rapidly, but it also creates lactic acid, which can lead to muscle fatigue.
**Marissa**, who runs 5-kilometer races, is participating in a lower-intensity, longer-duration event. Her muscle cells can afford to generate energy through **aerobic respiration**, which involves the use of oxygen to produce ATP, the molecule used for energy. Aerobic respiration is much more efficient than anaerobic respiration and can sustain prolonged activities without causing the same immediate fatigue due to lactic acid buildup.
Therefore, Tanya's muscles use the rapid, less efficient anaerobic pathway during her sprint, and Marissa's muscles use the slower, more efficient aerobic pathway during her long-distance runs.