Mitochondria

__Mitochondria__


 * [[image:http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/mitochondria/images/mitochondriafigure1.jpg width="296" height="312" caption="Mitochondria Structural Features"]] ||
 * Mitochondria Structural Features ||

Source: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/mitochondria/mitochondria.html

Mitochondria are a eukaryotic cell's "powerhouse." They are rod-shaped organelles that convert oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the chemical energy "currency" of the cell. It powers the the cell's metabolic activities. This process is known as aerobic respiration. It is reason animals breathe oxygen.

Mitochondria (//mitochondrion// for singular) are probably the reason higher animals exist. Without mitochondria, their cells would only be able to obtain energy from anaerobic respiration (which is respiration in the absence of oxygen). It is a process that is much less effecient than aerobic respiration. Mitochondria actually allow the cells they inhabit to produce 15 times more ATP than they could otherwise. That is very important because complex animals, such as humans and other mammals, need large amounts of energy in order to survive.

Source: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/mitochondria/mitochondria.html