Cellular Respiration
Cellular respiration is the process that cells use to make useable energy in the form of ATP. ATP is the source of chemical energy that is essential for survival, growth, reproduction and function of cells.
There are two forms of cellular respiration:
- Aerobic, which requires oxygen to function
- Anaerobic, which does not require oxygen to function.
In almost all plant and animal cells, when oxygen is present, these cells will undergo aerobic respiration and it is the highest ATP yielding energy process. Aerobic respiration requires the mitochondria of the cell and occurs over three distinct stages; glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain.
The rate of aerobic respiration is dependent on a range of factors within the organism’s environment. Factors such as oxygen concentration, glucose availability and temperature will all impact the amount of aerobic respiration an organism will perform.
Some bacteria and microbes live in oxygen free environments and undergo anaerobic respiration. Other organisms, like yeast and some bacteria, can survive in the presence or absence of oxygen.
This resource revises cellular respiration and within cellular respiration there are 3 key concepts:
To determine if this resource will benefit you, start by answering the following questions.
- Are you able to describe the role and location of the primary reactants (inputs) and products (outputs) of cellular respiration, both aerobic and anaerobic?
- Do you understand the similarities and differences of anaerobic respiration versus aerobic respiration?
- Can you describe some factors that affect the rate of cellular respiration?
The answers to these questions are provided on the following pages. Use this resource to refresh your memory, reinforce your understanding of these concepts, and prepare more effectively for university-level learning.