Cellular respiration transfers energy from chemical fuels into usable forms including ATP. Oxidation of the fuel is coupled to reduction of an electron acceptor; the energy transfer can support ATP synthesis. Plants carry out cellular respiration as well as photosynthesis. Their biological cells need usable energy in darkness too, and a seed can draw on stored fuel during germination.[ref]
Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark and others. Biology 2e, §7.1, Electrons and Energy and ATP in Living Systems: redox and energy carriers
[ref]Follow three different accounts: carbon moving from fuel to products, electrons moving to an electron acceptor, and energy becoming available for cellular work. They are connected, but an oxygen uptake measurement alone does not identify the fuel or count the ATP made. The pea seed respirometry experiment makes this distinction visible with simple apparatus.
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