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ATP is present in muscle cells, but only provides enough energy for how many seconds of contraction?

1) 10 seconds
2) 30 seconds
3) 60 seconds
4) 120 seconds

1 Answer

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Final answer:

ATP is present in muscle cells but only provides enough energy for a few seconds of contraction. Muscle cells rely on different mechanisms like creatine phosphate metabolism, anaerobic glycolysis, and aerobic respiration to regenerate ATP and continue muscle contraction.

Step-by-step explanation:

ATP is a molecule that provides energy for muscle contraction. However, the amount of ATP stored in muscle cells is very low, only enough to power a few seconds worth of contractions.

After this initial ATP is used up, the body relies on other mechanisms to regenerate ATP and continue muscle contraction.

One of these mechanisms is creatine phosphate metabolism, which can supply the energy needs of a working muscle at a high rate for about 8-10 seconds.

Another mechanism is anaerobic glycolysis, which uses glycogen to produce ATP without the need for oxygen.

This process is rapid and can provide enough energy to last about 90 seconds.

The third mechanism is aerobic respiration, which utilizes oxygen to produce a larger amount of ATP and allows muscles to work for longer periods of time.

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