They are mainly tubular or ovoid in shape. They are delimited by an external membrane similar to the cellular one; inside, separated by a space of about 60-80 A, there is a second membrane that introflts into crests, circumscribing a space occupied by the mitochondrial matrix. The inner membrane has a type of particles called elementary particles, on which the enzymes of respiration are arranged in an ordered series (oxidative phosphorylation occurs in the mitochondria).
Mitochondria are those organelles where most of the ATP of eukaryotic cells is produced and are present in almost all types of both plant and animal cells. These dynamic processes take place through the transport of metabolites and electrons, on elementary particles, from one enzyme to another, with a gradual transfer of energy.
Mitochondria contain mitochondrial DNA, RNA, and ribosomes.
If we consider the mitochondria as microorganisms that metabolize the catabolites of the host cell, and in particular those fragments in which the glucose molecule has been split in the anaerobic, cytoplasmic phase of its demolition, we will see that the mitochondria will tend to crowd and multiply right where the their nourishment is more abundant, that is, where the demolition of glucose, due to the greater demand for energy, is more intense. In particular, in the muscles the mitochondria are aligned along the bundles of fibers, and their number and volume grows with the demand, that is with the training.
The fact that mitochondria are endowed with their own inheritance, autonomous reproduction, etc., suggests that they too can present a certain variability, albeit limited, and this concept is studied as one of the components of efficiency. individual physics.
Click on the names of the various organelles to read the in-depth study
Image taken from www.progettogea.com