Tuesday, January 12, 2016

What must be available to your cells in order to carry out aerobic respiration?

Respiration is the process by which our cells produce energy. Aerobic respiration is the type of respiration that takes place aerobically, or in the presence of oxygen. Anaerobic respiration, on the other hand, takes place in the absence of oxygen.
In aerobic respiration, glucose molecules break down (in presence of oxygen) to carbon dioxide and water. This process is accompanied by the generation of energy in terms of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules, which are also known as the "energy currency" of the cells. Aerobic respiration can be summarized by the following reaction:
glucose + oxygen --> carbon dioxide + water + energy
The process of aerobic respiration takes place in cell organelle known as mitochondria. 
Thus, the cells in our body need two things for aerobic respiration: oxygen and mitochondria.
The process of aerobic respiration generates a lot more energy than the process of anaerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration can produce up to 38 molecules of ATP (theoretical yield) as compared to 2 ATP molecules in anaerobic respiration, per glucose molecule. 
 

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