Final answer:
Euglena is capable of both photosynthesis, where it synthesizes carbohydrates from CO2 and water using sunlight, and cellular respiration. During photosynthesis, the chemical reaction is represented as 6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2. This process is essential for the organism's production of energy and building materials.
Step-by-step explanation:
Euglena is a unicellular organism capable of performing both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. This dual ability allows them to thrive both as autotrophs, when light is available, and as heterotrophs, in the absence of light. For the process of photosynthesis, the summary reaction using chemical symbols is:
6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight → C6H12O6 + 6O2
During photosynthesis, Euglena uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2), which is released as a byproduct. This process is crucial for the synthesis of carbohydrates, which can later be used in cellular respiration to generate ATP, the energy currency of the cell. Euglenoids store carbohydrates in a glucose polymer different from typical starch, reflecting their unique metabolic pathway.