Final answer:
Mature mammalian red blood cells have a limited capacity to store ATP because they only perform glycolysis and lack mitochondria for oxidative phosphorylation. muscle cells have many mitochondria for ATP production, but when oxygen is lacking, they produce a small amount of ATP and lactic acid. Cells do not store large amounts of ATP due to the risk of damage; instead, ATP acts like a rechargeable battery for on-demand energy use.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cells that have a limited capacity to store ATP (adenosine triphosphate) are typically those that rely heavily on glycolysis for their energy needs, such as mature mammalian red blood cells. These cells are not equipped with mitochondria and thus can only convert glucose to pyruvate to produce ATP. This process yields a relatively small amount of ATP, and if it is interrupted, these cells cannot survive because they are unable to perform oxidative phosphorylation to generate more ATP.
In contrast, muscle cells contain a large number of mitochondria, which are essential for the high-energy demand required for muscle contraction. When muscle cells are deprived of oxygen during strenuous activity, they cannot generate a large amount of ATP and instead produce lactic acid alongside a small amount of ATP. However, it is important to note that while muscle cells can have a high energy demand, their capacity to store ATP for immediate use is not particularly limited as they have many mitochondria designed for ATP production.The living cell is incapable of storing large quantities of free energy in the form of ATP because such storage would be detrimental to the cell's structure and function. ATP is like a rechargeable battery for the cell, used to meet energy needs on-demand rather than for long-term energy storage. For long-term storage, cells convert ATP into more stable molecules like glucose and its polymers.