Carbohydrates, Biology

Assignment Help:

Carbohydrates

Fifty five to seventy per cent of the required energy in animals is derived from carbohydrates. However, fats and proteins can also be broken down and used for supplying energy. In most animals this happens only when the dietary intake of carbohydrates is low. In contrast, Drosophila uses only carbohydrates as a source of energy for its flight muscles and when the supply is exhausted the insect cannot fly even though it uses stored fat for other metabolic processes. Whereas, locusts are known to use only lipids for their long migratory flights. Most animals, however, use a variety of hexose sugars like glucose, fructose, mannose, and galactose as interchangeable sources of energy.

In this way no particular carbohydrate is really considered essential in a way similar to amino acids. But even if no carbohydrate is considered essential, growth of certain animals will be better on one type of sugar than on another. This can be explained better by the results of the following experiment. Young locusts showed that when dietary sugar was maltose growth was maximum or optimum and growth was minimum when no carbohydrate was given. Other sugars supported sub-optimal growth. What could be the reason for this difference? One of the main causes is the difference in the rate of movement of sugars across the gut wall into the blood. From the above experiment we can conclude that certain insects have a preference for a certain carbohydrate which can be called an essential or preferred nutrient. In the above experiment with locusts, maltose was the preferred nutrient.


Related Discussions:- Carbohydrates

Evolution, how to calculate the frequency of mating with the HW equation?

how to calculate the frequency of mating with the HW equation?

Use pcr to sequence the particular gene, You wish to use PCR to sequence a ...

You wish to use PCR to sequence a particular gene that you have isolated. The sequencing protocol suggests that you use 3.2pmole (pico moles) of your primer in a 2 micro liter volu

Industrial effluents - causes of water pollution, Industrial Effluents - Ca...

Industrial Effluents - Causes of Water Pollution Most industrial operations produce effluents that are discharged into nearby river or any other water body. The industrial eff

What is the function of the plant cell wall, Q. What is the function of the...

Q. What is the function of the plant cell wall? The plant cell wall has protective and structural functions. It plays an significant role in the constraint of the cell size, pr

What is root pressure, What is root pressure? Root pressure is the pre...

What is root pressure? Root pressure is the pressure that forces water from the soil to be absorbed by the xylem of the root. It is because of the osmotic gradient among the i

Culturing, ime day 0 day 1 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 7 count ...

ime day 0 day 1 day 3 day 4 day 5 day 7 count blank 7 10 5 14 9 8 low 45&49 64&70 62&69 75&79 80&82 68&72

Can you explain pneumothorax, Q. Can you explain Pneumothorax? Air in t...

Q. Can you explain Pneumothorax? Air in the pleural cavity manifests in a number of ways on the CXR, depending on the volume of air and position of the patient. The typical fin

Explain the basic function and use of glycolysis, Q. What is the glycolysis...

Q. What is the glycolysis? And what are the products of this process? Glycolysis, the first stage of the aerobic cell respiration is a process in which glucose is degraded brok

Nature of metabolites in sieve tubes, Nature of Metabolites in Sieve Tubes ...

Nature of Metabolites in Sieve Tubes The phloem sap contains three major classes of organic compounds - organic acids, amino acids and sucrose besides some cations, anions and

Rk, how many chromosomes in human

how many chromosomes in human

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd