10/7/2015 | M. Golf. Georgia Tech head golf coach Bruce Heppler enjoyed a record turnout Monday for the Ramblin' Wreck Cup, Georgia Tech's annual fund-raising event for the Yellow Jackets' golf program at the Golf Club... Read More [+]. 9/30/2015 | M. Golf.
Unlike prokaryotes, eukaryotic cells compartmentalize various metabolic processes inside membrane-bound organelles. For example, the breakdown of certain food molecules to provide energy takes place in the mitochondrion, and photosynthesis takes place in a chloroplast. Compartmentalization of metabolic processes makes eukaryotic cells very efficient and allows them to increase in size.
In Journey into the Cell, we looked at the structure of the two major types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Now we turn our attention to the power houses of a eukaryotic cell, the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cell's power producers. They convert energy into forms that are usable by the cell. Located in the cytoplasm, they are the sites of cellular respiration which ultimately generates fuel for the cell's activities. Mitochondria are also involved in other cell processes such as cell division and growth, as well as cell death.