Final answer:
Aerobic cellular respiration is a process by which cells convert glucose into ATP. It involves glycolysis in the cytoplasm, conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA, the Krebs cycle within mitochondria, and electron transport on the mitochondrion's inner membrane.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aerobic cellular respiration is a multi-stage process that occurs within the cells of organisms to convert glucose into ATP, the energy currency of the cell. The process consists of several key stages, each taking place within specific parts of the cell. Glucose, a six-carbon molecule, begins the process through glycolysis in the cell's cytoplasm, where it is broken down into two three-carbon molecules called pyruvate. Upon entering the mitochondria, pyruvate undergoes an intermediate stage known as pyruvate oxidation, where it is converted into acetyl CoA, producing one CO2 molecule and one NADH molecule for each pyruvate, which totals to two NADH molecules per glucose. This acetyl CoA then enters the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle. Here, it is fully oxidized into carbon dioxide while transferring electrons to energy carriers NADH and FADH2. The final stage is electron transport, which takes place on the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. In this stage, the energy from the electrons carried by NADH and FADH2 is used to produce a large amount of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.