Cellular Respiration

a process that takes place inside the cells

where energy is released by the breakdown
of glucose molecules. It is crucial to a cell’s
survival because if it cannot liberate energy
from fuels, it will not have enough energy to
drive its normal functions.
 Type
s

The process can be

conveniently divided into two
categories based on the
usage of oxygen, namely
aerobic and anaerobic
respiration.
 Aerobic
Respiration

is the process of cellular respiration that uses oxygen to

produce energy from food. This type of respiration is
common in most of the plants and animals, including humans,
birds and other mammals. While breathing, we inhale air that
contains oxygen and we exhale air rich in carbon dioxide.
As we breathe in, the oxygen-rich air is transported to all the
parts of our body and ultimately to each cell
 Aerobic
Respiration
Inside the cell, the food, which contains glucose, is broken down
into carbon dioxide and water with the help of oxygen
through the different stages namely, glycolysis, Krebs
cycle, and electron transport chain. The process of breaking
down the food particles releases energy, which is then utilized
by our body. The process can be simply explained with the help
of the given equation:
Aerobic
Respiration
 Anaerobic Respiration

Sometimes there is not enough oxygen around for some

organisms to respire, but they still need the energy to survive.
Due to lack of oxygen, they carry out respiration in the absence
of oxygen to produce the energy they require. Anaerobic
respiration usually occurs in some bacteria and archaea which
thrives in low oxygen environments.
 Anaerobic Respiration

This method still incorporates the respiratory electron

transport chain, but without using oxygen as the terminal
electron acceptor. Instead, molecules such as sulfate through
sulfate reduction, and nitrate through denitrification are used
as electron acceptors. These molecules have a lower reduction
potential than oxygen; thus, less energy is formed per molecule
of glucose in anaerobic versus aerobic conditions.
 Fermentation

is another way of harvesting chemical energy

without using either oxygen or any electron
transport chain. It can be classified as alcoholic
fermentation and lactic acid fermentation.
 Alcoholic
Fermentation
the process which produces ethanol and NAD+. The NAD+
allows glycolysis to continue making ATP. This type of
fermentation also explains why bread dough rises. Yeasts in
bread dough use alcoholic fermentation and produce carbon
dioxide gas. The gas forms bubbles in the dough, which
cause the dough to expand. The bubbles also leave small holes
in the bread after it bakes, making the bread light and fluffy.
Alcoholic
Fermentation
 Lactic Acid Fermentation

is the process of splitting glucose into two molecules of lactic

acid to produce two ATP. It is used by multi-cellular organisms,
like us, as a temporary response to oxygen-less conditions.
During heavy or intensive exercise such as running,
sprinting, cycling or weightlifting, our body demands high
energy. As the supply of oxygen is limited, the muscle cells
inside our body resort to anaerobic respiration to fulfil the
energy demand.
Lactic Acid Fermentation
Similarities Between Both aerobic and anaerobic
Aerobic And Anaerobic respiration are methods of
harvesting energy from a food
Respiration source, such as fats or sugars.
Both processes begin with the
splitting of a six-carbon sugar
molecule into 2 three-carbon
pyruvate molecules in a process
called glycolysis. This process
consumes two ATP molecules and
creates four ATP, for a net gain
of two ATP per sugar molecule
that is split
Bacteria and archaea can only
Similarities Between
perform anaerobic respiration Aerobic And Anaerobic
while other organisms can
perform either aerobic or Respiration
anaerobic respiration,
depending on whether oxygen
is present. Humans and other
animals rely on aerobic
respiration to stay alive but
can extend their cells’ lives
or performance in the absence
of oxygen through anaerobic
respiration.
Differences Between
During aerobic respiration,
Aerobic And the electron transport chain,
Anaerobic and most of the chemical
reactions of respiration,
Respiration occur in the mitochondria.
The mitochondria’s system of
membranes makes the process
much more efficient by
concentrating the chemical
reactants of respiration
together in one small space.
In contrast, anaerobic Differences Between
respiration typically takes
place in the cytoplasm. This Aerobic And
is because most cells that Anaerobic
exclusively carry out
anaerobic respiration do not
Respiration
have specialized organelles.
The series of reactions is
typically shorter in anaerobic
respiration and uses a final
electron acceptor such as
sulfate, nitrate, sulfur, or
fumarate instead of oxygen.
Differences Between
Aerobic And
Anaerobic
Respiration
Anaerobic respiration also produces less ATP for each
sugar molecule digested than aerobic respiration,
making it a less efficient method of generating
cellular energy. In addition, it produces different
waste products – including, in some cases, alcohol