Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

These flashcards cover key concepts related to cellular respiration and fermentation, as discussed in the lecture notes.

What do cells use to produce ATP from sugars and high-energy compounds?

Cells produce ATP by metabolizing sugars and other high-potential-energy compounds through pathways such as glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain.

What is glycolysis?

Glycolysis is the process that breaks down a six-carbon glucose into two three-carbon pyruvate molecules, yielding 2 ATP and 2 NADH.

Where does glycolysis occur?

Glycolysis occurs in the cytosol of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

What is the primary role of the citric acid cycle?

The citric acid cycle oxidizes acetyl CoA derived from pyruvate to CO2, reducing NAD+ to NADH and FAD to FADH2, and producing ATP.

What are the two main types of respiration?

Aerobic respiration uses oxygen as the final electron acceptor, while anaerobic respiration uses alternative electron acceptors when oxygen is not present.

What is fermentation?

Fermentation is a metabolic pathway that regenerates NAD+ from NADH, allowing glycolysis to continue in the absence of oxygen.

What are the products of lactic acid fermentation?

Lactic acid fermentation produces lactate and NAD+ from pyruvate by accepting electrons from NADH.

What are the products of alcohol fermentation?

Alcohol fermentation converts pyruvate to acetaldehyde and CO2, producing ethanol and regenerating NAD+.

What are catabolic pathways?

Catabolic pathways are metabolic pathways that break down molecules to release energy used to produce ATP.

What are the steps involved in cellular respiration?

The four main processes of cellular respiration are glycolysis, pyruvate processing, the citric acid cycle, and electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation.