Final answer:
Carbon dioxide is produced by a mesophyll cell in a flowering plant during the night, a muscle cell in a mammalian heart during contraction, and a yeast cell growing under anaerobic conditions. All these cases involve forms of cellular respiration, and in the case of plants, also involve the Calvin cycle during light-independent reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Production of Carbon Dioxide in Biological Processes
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a byproduct of various metabolic processes in different organisms. Firstly, a mesophyll cell in a flowering plant during the night might produce CO2 because, while photosynthesis is not active without light, respiration continues, consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Secondly, a muscle cell in a mammalian heart during contraction certainly produces CO2 as a result of aerobic cellular respiration, breaking down glucose for energy and releasing CO2 as a waste product. And thirdly, a yeast cell growing under anaerobic conditions produces CO2 during the process of fermentation. All these processes are forms of cellular respiration that either use oxygen and glucose or occur anaerobically, leading to the production of carbon dioxide.
Both photosynthesis and cellular respiration involve the utilization of carbon dioxide. In photosynthesis, CO2 is converted into glucose, and in cellular respiration, carbohydrates including glucose are metabolized to produce energy, carbon dioxide, and water. Specifically, during the Calvin cycle in plants, CO2 is fixed and reduced to form carbohydrates during the light-independent reactions that occur in the mesophyll cells.