L24 Anaerobic cellular respiration SS

Anaerobic cellular respiration

A type of respiration that occurs without oxygen, using alternative electron acceptors.

NADH

Reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, an important electron carrier in cellular respiration.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that converts sugars to acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen.

Glycolysis

The process of breaking down glucose to produce ATP, occurring before cellular respiration.

Krebs cycle

A series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA.

Denitrification

The microbial process of reducing nitrates and nitrites to nitrogen gas, thus completing the nitrogen cycle.

Electron transport chain

A series of protein complexes and other molecules that transfer electrons to create a proton gradient for ATP production.

ATP synthase

An enzyme that creates ATP by using the proton gradient formed during electron transport.

Nitrate respiration

The process of using nitrate as an electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

A method of generating ATP by directly transferring a phosphate group to ADP from a donor molecule.

Final electron acceptor

The molecule that receives electons during the last stage of cellular respiration, which varies between aerobic and anaerobic processes.

Acetyl CoA

A key molecule in metabolism that links glycolysis to the Krebs cycle.

Aerobic respiration

A type of respiration that requires oxygen to produce ATP.

Electron acceptor

A chemical entity that accepts electrons in a chemical reaction, used in respiration pathways.

Methanogenesis

A form of anaerobic respiration where carbon is converted into methane by microorganisms.

Phosphorylation

The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, typically ADP to form ATP.