ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION

Anaerobic Respiration

• Many organisms do not have mitochondria and/or can’t use oxygen in the ETC

• Therefore, they process energy through respiration

Bacteria

• One of the most successful organisms on Earth are bacteria – they are the longest surviving organisms and have colonized some of the most extreme environments

They’re survivors

Smell this…does it smell bad to you?

• If you’ve ever pulled something out of the fridge that has been sealed in a tupperware container for weeks, you’ve had this conversation before

Switch hitters• Aerobic organisms (like us) can resort to anaerobic respiration

when oxygen is unavailable – but only for short periods• This ability to switch is best seen in athletic performance

End effects• However, no matter what you tend to rely upon, even

endurance athletes may use some of their short term aerobic pathways to produce energy (think about suddenly having to sprint up a hill)

• It has been suggested for many years that lactic acid build up may be responsible for muscle soreness seen in athletes after exertion – but there is not yet any direct evidence that this may be the cause of muscle fatigue and pain

Lactic AcidFermentation

Simple celled organisms can do it too• Organisms like humans are not the only ones that can use both forms of cellular

respiration• OBLIGATE ANAEROBES

• AEROTOLERANT ANAEROBES

• OBLIGATE AEROBES

• FACULATATIVE ANAEROBES

Larger they are…the more energy they need

• It is worthwhile to note that single celled organisms tend to be the only ones that can rely anaerobic respiration as their main source of energy production

We’ve harnassed it…

• Alcoholic fermentation is one example of how humans have exploited the biological machinery of a single celled organism for our use

Alcoholic Fermentation

Think much about what you drink? (Illegally?)

• Once the fermentation process is complete, it is heated to kill the yeast and then distilled to concentrate the alcohol

• The flavour of the final product is dependent on what you used for a carbohydrate (vodka = potatoes, beer = barley, wine = grapes, tequila = agave plant, rye = wheat, etc.) as well as any aging processes

• Aging must occur in wooden barrels as enzymes in the wood are what cause the chemical changes that produce distinct flavours in alcohol

Gluconeogenesis

• Gluconeogenesis (Gluco=glucose, neo = new, genesis = start, generate) is the process by which glucose is created from other molecules

• The formation of glucose from alternate molecules in the body is possible via common molecules found in glycolysis and various biochemical pathways

• All the major macromolecules in your body can be used as a source of energy