Question

Germinating plant seeds can convert stored fatty acids into oxaloacetate and a variety of carbohydrates. Animals cannot synthesize significant quantities of oxaloacetate or glucose from fatty acids. What accounts for this difference?

Answer 1

The reason why animals cannot synthesize oxaloacetate is because the fatty acids which they produce, are not able to create glucose (oxaloacetate).

Step-by-step explanation:

The fatty acids in animals need to be converted to acetyl-CoA first, but this acetyl won't convert into oxaloacetate, in comparison to plants, that use the glyoxylate cycle, that allows them to produce the mentioned glucose.