Question

What is the biological significance of carbohydrates?

Answer 1

Carbohydrates are the world's most abundant bio-macromolecules. Because the majority of them have a sweet flavour, they are usually referred to as sugars. Polyhydroxy (containing many hydroxyl, – OH, groups) aldehydes or ketones are polyhydroxy (containing many hydroxyl, – OH, groups) aldehydes or ketones. Carbohydrates are carbohydrates that include C, H, and O.

Complete solution:
Carbohydrates are essential for the survival of any living being. The following headings can be used to examine its biological significance:
Instant source of energy: Carbohydrates are oxidized at the very first stage to produce ATP through respiratory metabolism.
Storage function: Carbohydrates function as a storage system for metabolic fuel in living organisms. Starch and glycogen, for example, are the storage forms found in plants and mammals, respectively. The energy is provided by breaking down the storage form into glucose units.
Structural function: Carbohydrates such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin play a structural role in the cell wall of plants, providing a mechanical and protective function. It also gives the plant cell a distinct form. In insects and crustaceans, chitin is a component of the exoskeleton.
Communication function: Carbohydrates are covalently linked to either protein or lipid to create glycoproteins or glycolipids, which serve as a means of communication. Cadherin is the main adhesion molecule, and glycoproteins serve as a hormone (Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and erythropoietin), enzyme (Phosphatase, lipase, and pepsinogen), receptor, integral membrane protein, and mucin.

Note:
Carbohydrates are classified into monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are the simplest kind of carbohydrate. Monosaccharides can be joined together by glycosidic linkages to produce oligosaccharides or polysaccharides, which are bigger carbohydrates. A disaccharide is an oligosaccharide containing just two monosaccharides. An oligosaccharide becomes a polysaccharide when more than $20$ monosaccharides are joined with glycosidic linkages. Thousands of monosaccharides may be found in certain polysaccharides, such as cellulose.