Question

warm-up (15 mins): what does “aerobic” and “anaerobic” mean?
exit ticket (10 mins): which produces more atp — aerobic or anaerobic respiration?

Explanation:

• Aerobic: Refers to processes that require oxygen. In biology, aerobic respiration is a metabolic pathway where cells use oxygen to break down glucose, producing a large amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the energy - currency of the cell).
• Anaerobic: Refers to processes that occur without oxygen. Anaerobic respiration (or fermentation in some cases) is a metabolic pathway that breaks down glucose in the absence of oxygen. It produces a much smaller amount of ATP compared to aerobic respiration.
• For the ATP - production question: Aerobic respiration produces more ATP. In aerobic respiration, one molecule of glucose can produce up to 36 - 38 ATP molecules (through glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation). In anaerobic respiration (e.g., lactic acid fermentation in animals or alcoholic fermentation in yeast), only 2 ATP molecules are produced per glucose molecule (from glycolysis, as the subsequent steps that require oxygen to produce more ATP are bypassed).

Answer:

• "Aerobic" means requiring oxygen; "anaerobic" means without oxygen.
• Aerobic respiration produces more ATP.