Question

When oxygen is unavailable during heavy exercise what process do muscle cells use for energy generation?

A. Glycolysis coupled with alcohol fermentation
B. Anaerobic respiration
C. Aerobic respiration
D. Glycolysis coupled with lactate fermentation

Answer 1

Muscle cells use B) anaerobic respiration when oxygen is unavailable during heavy exercise to generate energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

When oxygen is unavailable during heavy exercise, muscle cells use the process of Anaerobic Respiration for energy generation.

In this process, pyruvate produced by glycolysis is converted into lactic acid, which serves to regenerate the enzyme NAD* needed by glycolysis.

Anaerobic respiration occurs in cells when oxygen is limited or absent, and it is an effective pathway for ATP production for short periods of time.