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

Define key concepts and facts on properties of monosaccharid, Define Key Co...

Define Key Concepts and Facts on Properties of Monosaccharides? 1. All monosaccharides are soluble in water. 2. All monosaccharides give Molisch's test. 3. Monosaccharides do n

Define about the pyranose and furanose ring structure, Define about the Pyr...

Define about the Pyranose and Furanose ring structure? Monosaccharides forming a five-sided ring or a five membered ring (4 C and 1 O), like ribose, are called furanoses. Those

How different are animal cells from plant cells, How different are animal c...

How different are animal cells from plant cells? Whereas plant cells are eukaryotic, autotrophic, photosynthetic and have chloroplasts and cell wall, the animal cells are eukar

Explain biotin (vitamin h), Biotin (vitamin H) It was revealed  that eg...

Biotin (vitamin H) It was revealed  that egg yolk could prevent dermatitis and emaciation  in  rats that were kept on  raw  egg white a$ the main protein source. The factor of

Is there a exchange of cells between the mother, Is there a exchange of cel...

Is there a exchange of cells between the mother and the fetus through the placenta? Under normal conditions, there is not a passage of cells across the placenta during gestati

Pteridophytes, What are the affinities of pteridophytes with gymnosperms?

What are the affinities of pteridophytes with gymnosperms?

What is gluconeogenesis, What is gluconeogenesis There is accumulation ...

What is gluconeogenesis There is accumulation of lactate, which is released into the blood and taken up by  the liver where  it  is converted to glucose by  the  process called

Define the concept of health - public nutrition, Define the Concept of Heal...

Define the Concept of Health - Public Nutrition? The most widely accepted definition of health is the one given by WHO (1948) in the preamble to its constitution, Box 1 gives t

Define absorption, Define Absorption, Storage and Elimination of Pyridoxine...

Define Absorption, Storage and Elimination of Pyridoxine? Pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine (along with their phosphorylated forms) occur in plant and animal foods. The ph

General process of post-hatching growth in insects, General process of post...

General process of post-hatching growth in insects While a young insect hatches out from an egg it is covered by a firm, inflexible, sclerotized cuticle, which because of its

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