Plants store carbohydrates in long polysaccharides chains called starch, while animals store carbohydrates as the molecule glycogen. These large polysaccharides contain many chemical bonds and therefore store a lot of chemical energy.
- Where do animals store sugars?
- What is the storage form of sugar in animals?
- How do animals store glucose for later?
- What are two ways that animals can get sugar?
Where do animals store sugars?
Animals (including humans) store some glucose in the cells so that it is available for quick shots of energy. Excess glucose is stored in the liver as the large compound called glycogen.
What is the storage form of sugar in animals?
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in humans and other vertebrates and is made up of monomers of glucose. Glycogen is the animal equivalent of starch and is a highly branched molecule usually stored in liver and muscle cells.
How do animals store glucose for later?
Most glycogen is stored in the liver and in muscle cells. When these and other body cells are saturated with glycogen, excess glucose is converted to fat and is stored as adipose tissue.
What are two ways that animals can get sugar?
The chloroplasts collect energy from the sun and use carbon dioxide and water in the process called photosynthesis to produce sugars. Animals can make use of the sugars provided by the plants in their own cellular energy factories, the mitochondria.