FAILURE OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION AND ITS EFFECT

We all need energy to function and we get this energy from the foods we eat. The most
efficient way for cells to harvest energy stored in food is through cellular respiration a
catabolic pathway for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Nutrients that are
commonly used by animal and plant cells are sugar, amino acid and fatty acids and a
common oxidizing agent which molecular oxygen. Through cellular respiration the cells
harvest energy stored in food by a catabolic pathway for the production of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP). ATP is a high energy molecule which is spent by working cells. Cellular
respiration takes place both in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Cellular respiration can be
aerobic respiration in the presence of oxygen or anaerobic respiration in the absence of
oxygen. There are three main stages of cellular respiration: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle,
and electron transport/oxidative phosphorylation.