A cell has enough available ATP to meet its needs for about 30 seconds. What is likely to happen when an athlete exhausts his or her ATP supply?
A) He or she has to sit down and rest.
B) ATP is transported into the cell from circulation.
C) Catabolic processes are activated that generate ATP.
D) Other cells take over and the muscle cell that has used up its ATP quits.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When ATP supply is exhausted, catabolic processes are activated to generate ATP. This is done through processes such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. This allows the cell to continue functioning even after the initial supply of ATP is depleted. Option A is incorrect because simply sitting down and resting does not generate ATP, and the cell still needs ATP to function. Option B is incorrect because ATP is not transported into cells from circulation once it has been depleted. Option D is incorrect because cells cannot take over for each other in generating ATP, and the muscle cell would not simply quit functioning.

A Cell Has Enough Available ATP to Meet Its Needs