How do the inner membranes of the mitochondria make it easier for the mitochondria to do its “job?”

To understand how the inner membrane of mitochondria make their job easier, one must first understand what the job of mitochondria is. Mitochondria are responsible for the majority of energy production, in the form of ATP, that occurs in animal cells. The process through which mitochondria are able to produce this energy is known as oxidative phosphorylation.

This process occurs through a number of steps that involve the mitochondrial inner membranes. These inner membranes help the mitochondria do its job by having many folds, known as cristae. These cristae help the mitochondria by greatly increasing the surface area of the inner membrane. This increase allows for much more of the important machinery involved in ATP production to be present, helping the mitochondria function more effectively. Hope this helps!