bio notes
Why aerobic respiration stops without oxygen
Oxygen is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain
Without oxygen:
Electron transport chain stops
Oxidative phosphorylation stops
Reduced NAD and FAD cannot be oxidised
Krebs cycle stops (needs oxidised NAD/FAD)
ATP can no longer be produced in mitochondria
How ATP is still produced
Cells rely on glycolysis
Glycolysis:
Occurs in cytoplasm
Does not require oxygen
Produces 2 ATP per glucose
Glycolysis needs oxidised NAD
Fermentation regenerates NAD
Types of fermentation (cytoplasm)
1. Ethanol fermentation
Occurs in:
Yeast
Some microorganisms
Some plant tissues (e.g. rice roots)
Steps:
1. Pyruvate → ethanal + CO₂ (decarboxylation)
2. Ethanal + reduced NAD → ethanol + oxidised NAD
(enzyme: alcohol dehydrogenase)
Key points:
Regenerates NAD
Allows glycolysis to continue
Ethanol is toxic
Ethanol is a waste product
2. Lactate fermentation
Occurs in:
Mammalian muscle cells
Some microorganisms
Reaction:
Pyruvate + reduced NAD →lactate + oxidised NAD
(enzyme: lactate dehydrogenase)
Key points:
Lactate is not a waste product
Lactate can:
Be oxidised back to pyruvate
Be converted to glycogen (stored in liver)
Oxygen debt / EPOC
Extra oxygen needed to remove lactate
Explains heavy breathing after exercise
Called:
Oxygen debt
EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption)
Ethanol fermentation in rice 🌾
Problems with flooding
Low oxygen and CO₂ in water
Gas diffusion slower in water
Roots struggle to respire aerobically
Photosynthesis reduced if leaves submerged
Rice adaptations
1. Rapid stem growth → leaves stay above water
2. Aerenchyma tissue
Loosely packed cells with air spaces
Allows oxygen diffusion to submerged roots
3. Ethanol fermentation
Roots use ethanol fermentation when oxygen is scarce
Rice tolerates high ethanol levels
Produces more ethanol dehydrogenase
Enables ATP production under low oxygen
12.5 Respiratory substrates
What are respiratory substrates?
Substances that can be respired to release energy
Includes:
Glucose
Other carbohydrates
Lipids
Amino acids
Order of substrate use
1. Glucose – preferred substrate
2. Lipids – used when glucose runs low
3. Amino acids – last resort
(normally needed for proteins and enzymes)
How different substrates enter respiration
Carbohydrates
Converted to glucose
Enter via glycolysis
Lipids
Broken into fatty acids and glycerol
Fatty acids → acetyl CoA
Enter directly into Krebs cycle
Amino acids
Deaminated (removal of amino group)
Converted to:
Pyruvate, or
Acetyl CoA
Enter Krebs cycle
Energy values of substrates
Given as energy density (kJ per gram)
Lipids release more energy per gram than carbohydrates
Reason:
Lipids contain more hydrogen atoms
More hydrogen → more reduced NAD/FAD → more ATP
Key line for exams:
Most energy in aerobic respiration comes from oxidation of hydrogen to water.
Respiratory Quotient (RQ)
Definition
RQ = volume of CO₂ produced ÷ volume of O₂ used
RQ of glucose (aerobic)
Reaction:
C6H12O6+6O2 →6CO2+6H2OC_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2OC6H12O6+6O2
→6CO2+6H2O RQ=66=1RQ = \frac{6}{6} = 1RQ=66=1
RQ of lipids
More oxygen used than CO₂ produced
≈
RQ < 1 ( 0.7)
RQ of proteins
Variable
Usually ≈
0.8–0.9
RQ during ethanol fermentation (yeast)
Reaction:
→ →
C6H12O6 2C2H5OH+2CO2C_6H_{12}O_6 \rightarrow 2C_2H_5OH + 2CO_2C6H12O6 2C2H5
OH+2CO2
Oxygen used = 0
CO₂ produced = 2
RQ=20= ∞RQ = \frac{2}{0}
High RQ → anaerobic respiration
Lactate fermentation
No CO₂ produced
No O₂ used
RQ cannot be calculated
Exam one-liners 🔥
Fermentation regenerates oxidised NAD
Lipids have higher energy density due to more hydrogen
RQ indicates which substrate is being respired
High RQ values suggest anaerobic respiration