ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION

In biology, anaerobic respiration is a way for an organism to produce usable energy, in

the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, without the involvement of oxygen; it is
respiration without oxygen. This process is mainly used by prokaryotic organisms
(bacteria) that live in environments devoid of oxygen. Although oxygen is not used, the
process is still called respiration because the basic three steps of respiration are all used,
namely glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the respiratory chain, or electron transport
chain. It is the use of the third and final step that defines the process as respiration. In
order for the electron transport chain to function, a final electron acceptor must be present
to take the electron away from the system after it is used. In aerobic organisms, this final
electron acceptor is oxygen. Oxygen is a highly electronegative atom and therefore is an
excellent candidate for the job. In anaerobes, the chain still functions, but oxygen is not
used as the final electron acceptor. Other less electronegative substances such as sulfate
(SO4), nitrate (NO3), and sulfur (S) are used. Oftentimes, anaerobic organisms are
obligate anaerobes, meaning they can only respire using anaerobic compounds and can
actually die in the presence of oxygen.

Anaerobic respiration is not the same as fermentation, which does not use either the citric
acid cycle or the respiratory chain (electron transport chain) and therefore, cannot be
classified as respiration.

Abstract Oxyanions of arsenic and selenium can be used in microbial anaerobic

respiration as terminal electron acceptors. The detection of arsenate and selenate respiring
bacteria in numerous pristine and contaminated environments and their rapid appearance
in enrichment culture suggest that they are widespread and metabolically active in nature.
Although the bacterial species that have been isolated and characterized are still few in
number, they are scattered throughout the bacterial domain and include Gram-positive
bacteria, beta, gamma and epsilon Proteobacteria and the sole member of a deeply
branching lineage of the bacteria, Chrysiogenes arsenatus. The oxidation of a number of
organic substrates (i.e. acetate, lactate, pyruvate, glycerol, ethanol) or hydrogen can be
coupled to the reduction of arsenate and selenate, but the actual donor used varies from
species to species. Both periplasmic and membrane-associated arsenate and selenate
reductases have been characterized. Although the number of subunits and molecular
masses differs, they all contain molybdenum. The extent of the environmental impact on
the transformation and mobilization of arsenic and selenium by microbial dissimilatory
processes is only now being fully appreciated.

Anaerobic respiration (without oxygen)

Anaerobic respiration in humans may be summarised by the word equation:

glucose lactic acid + energy

In yeast anaerobic respiration may be summarised by:

 glucose ethanol + carbon dioxide + energy

During glycolysis, glucose molecules (six-carbon molecules) are split into two pyruvates
(three-carbon molecules) during a sequence of enzyme-controlled reactions. This is the
same reaction as occurs in aerobic respiration. Without oxygen, pyruvate is converted to
lactic acid in animals or ethanol in plants and yeast. It produces only about 10% of the
energy released in the complete oxidation of glucose.

Anaerobic respiration in humans takes place when muscle undergoes extreme contraction
as in vigorous exercise. When oxygen is limited the oxidation of NADH to NAD+ by the
electron transport chain is insufficient to maintain glycolysis. Under these conditions
NAD+ is regenerated by the reduction of pyruvate to lactate.

In yeast pyruvate is converted to ethanal and then to ethanol. The latter stage oxidises
NADH to NAD+, allowing glycolysis to continue.