Question

Compare aerobic to anaerobic cellular respiration.

Answer 1

Aerobic cellular respiration and anaerobic cellular respiration are two processes that cells use to produce energy from glucose. The main difference is the presence or absence of oxygen. Aerobic respiration produces more ATP, while anaerobic respiration is faster.

Step-by-step explanation:

Aerobic vs Anaerobic Cellular Respiration

Aerobic cellular respiration and anaerobic cellular respiration are two processes that cells use to produce energy from glucose. The main difference between the two is the presence or absence of oxygen.

Aerobic Cellular Respiration:

1. In the presence of oxygen, aerobic respiration occurs.
2. The process begins with glycolysis in the cytoplasm, where glucose is broken down into two molecules of pyruvate.
3. Next, the pyruvate molecules enter the mitochondria, where they undergo the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle. This cycle produces ATP as well as NADH and FADH2.
4. The final step is the electron transport chain, where NADH and FADH2 are used to produce a large amount of ATP.

Anaerobic Cellular Respiration:

1. In the absence of oxygen, anaerobic respiration occurs.
2. Like aerobic respiration, it begins with glycolysis, where glucose is broken down into two molecules of pyruvate.
3. Instead of entering the mitochondria, the pyruvate molecules undergo fermentation. There are two types of fermentation: lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation.
4. In lactic acid fermentation, pyruvate is converted to lactic acid, and NADH is converted back to NAD+.
5. In alcoholic fermentation, pyruvate is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide, and NADH is converted back to NAD+.

The main advantage of aerobic respiration is that it produces much more ATP compared to anaerobic respiration. However, anaerobic respiration has the advantage of being faster.