Anaerobic Respiration

During the last stage of

cell respiration, electrons
from glucose are passed
down the electron
passport chain to the
final electron acceptor,
oxygen
Chemiosmosis couples
the electron transport
chain to ATP synthesis:
 Aerobic Respiration
• When oxygen is the final electron
acceptor, the process is called aerobic
respiration
• Aerobic = occurring in the presence of
oxygen
 Anaerobic Respiration
• Some prokaryotes are able to carry out
anaerobic respiration, respiration in which
an inorganic molecule other than oxygen (O2)
is the final electron acceptor.
• For example, some bacteria, called nitrate
reducers, can transfer electrons to nitrate
(NO3-) reducing it to nitrite (NO2-).
• Less efficient: usually 30-34 ATPs per glucose
molecule.
 What happens if there is no available
electron acceptor?
Glucose
2 ADP glycolysis 2 NAD+

2 ATP 2 NADH

2 pyruvate
Aerobic respiration: The NADH then passes its high energy e- to the
electron transport chain (becoming NAD+ again) and eventually to O2

Anaerobic respiration: Without O2, NADH has nowhere to donate its e-

to, NAD+ cannot be regenerated, and glycolysis stops
 Anaerobic fermentation

• Fermentation: An alternative set of reactions

that can follow glycolysis in the absence of
oxygen as a final electron acceptor.

• Extremely inefficient: no Kreb’s cycle, no

ETC. Glycolysis produces a net of 2 ATP’s
per glucose molecule
 FERMENTATION PATHWAYS ALLOWS CELLS
TO REGENERATE NAD+ FOR GLYCOLSIS

Fermentation Intermediate accepts

by-product electrons from NADH

2 NAD+ 2 NADH

2
Glucose Pyruvate

2 ADP 2 ATP
LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION
OCCURS IN HUMANS

Pyruvate accepts
electrons from NADH

2 Lactate 2 NAD+ 2 NADH

Glucose

2 ADP 2 ATP 2 Pyruvate

ALCOHOL FERMENTATION
OCCURS IN YEAST

2 CO2

2 Ethanol 2 Acetylaldehyde
2 NAD+ 2 NADH

Glucose

2 ADP 2 ATP 2 Pyruvate