Lesson 4 ·Class 9 · Respiration in Plants · Flow Lab
Anaerobic Respiration
Breaking down glucose without oxygen.
Take the oxygen away. The cell can still get energy — but far less of it.
→ → → →
🍬 Step 1 of 5 · Glucose ready
The same fuel, but now there is no oxygen available.
C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂ + a little energy
Free play — step through the process at your own pace, and move the slider to see what changes. Switch to when you're ready to test yourself.
Both pathways start with glycolysis. They part ways at pyruvic acid.
What this lesson covers
Challenges to clear
- Advance to the products formed without oxygen.
- Step through the whole pathway.
The task
Take the oxygen away. The cell can still get energy — but far less of it.
What this lesson covers
- Glucose ready — The same fuel, but now there is no oxygen available.
- Glycolysis — Glucose is still split into pyruvic acid in the cytoplasm, releasing a small amount of ATP.
- Breakdown stops early — Without oxygen the pyruvic acid cannot be fully oxidised. It is only partly broken down.
- Alcohol and CO₂ — In plants and yeast the product is ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Much of the energy stays locked in the alcohol.
- A poor yield — Anaerobic respiration releases only a small fraction of the energy aerobic respiration does from the same glucose.
- C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂ + a little energy
Hint
Both pathways start with glycolysis. They part ways at pyruvic acid.