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Cellular Respiration
Cellular Respiration
Cellular Respiration the process by which the chemical energy of food molecules is
released and partially captured for the production of ATP.
There are two types of respiration: aerobic and anaerobic.
Cellular respiration is a cumulative function of three metabolic stages: glycilysis,
citric acid cycle, and oxidative phophorylation.
Oxidative Phosphorylation is the process wherein ATP is formed due to the transfer
of electrons from NADH or FADH2 to 02 by a chain of electron carriers. The electrons
come from the first two stages, usually from NADH, and passed from one electron
acceptor to another in an electron transport chain. This stage uses electron trasport
and chemiosmosis, which require a specific supply of oxygen. At the end of the
electron transport chain, the electrons are combined with hydrogen ions and
molecular oxygen to form water . The energy released at each step of the chain is
stored in a form the mitochondrion can use to make ATP. This form of ATP
production is called oxidative phosphorylation.
Anaerobic Respiration
One type of energy production is fermentation. Fermentation is an example of
anaerobic respiration which produces ATP without the process of oxygen, as
opposed to aerobic respiration which requires oxygen. In this process, fermentation
produces two ATP molecules in every glucose molecule. It is then reduced into NAD+
to NADH. Remarkably, fermentation provides another pathway which help the cell to
recycle NADH to NAD+. Bacteria and muscle cells are able to oxidize NADH to NAD+
and reduced pyruvic acid into lactate through lactic acid fermentation.
Lactic acid fermentation is an important process in making cheese and yogurt. Soy
sauce and sauerkraut are products of microbial fermentation. Alcohol fermentation
is used in wine wine and baking.
Anaerobic respiration can be either obligate or facultative. Yeast and most bacteria
can make ATP through oxidative phosphorylation or fermentation and called as
facultative anaerobes. Organisms that live in stagnant ponds and soils are known as
obligate anerobes. Obligate anerobes die when oxygen is present and thus live in
deep soil or in ponds where there is no oxygen.