What is a common feature of enzymes in biochemical reactions?

Enzymes are biological catalysts that play a crucial role in speeding up biochemical reactions. They achieve this by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur, allowing it to proceed more quickly and efficiently. This acceleration of reaction rate is a universal characteristic of all enzymes, making them essential facilitators of metabolic processes in living organisms.

The other choices present concepts that do not accurately reflect the properties of enzymes. For instance, enzymes are not consumed in the reactions they catalyze; rather, they facilitate the reaction and can be reused multiple times. Also, while some enzymes may function optimally at higher temperatures, many enzymes operate effectively at normal physiological temperatures, making it incorrect to say they only function at high temperatures. Lastly, many enzymes do not require oxygen; they can function in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, so they do not have an inherent requirement for oxygen to catalyze reactions. Therefore, the ability of enzymes to speed up reaction rates stands out as a fundamental and defining feature of their role in biochemistry.