Answer:
• Definition of Cellular Respiration
- Cellular respiration is the process by which organisms use oxygen to break down food molecules to get chemical energy for cell functions. Cellular respiration takes place in the cells of animals, plants, and fungi, and also in algae and other protists.
- It is often called aerobic respiration because the process requires oxygen (the root aer comes from the Greek word for “air”). In the absence of oxygen, cells can get energy by breaking down food through the process of fermentation, or anaerobic respiration. Of the two processes, cellular respiration is more efficient, yielding considerably more energy than that released through fermentation.
- Cellular respiration is a chemical reaction in which glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen, releasing chemical energy and producing carbon dioxide and water as waste products:
glucose + oxygen → chemical energy + carbon dioxide + water
