Lesson Summary:
Aerobic respiration is the process where glucose is broken down in cells to release energy. It occurs in four main stages: glycolysis, link reaction, Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. This multistep process converts glucose into ATP, the cell's energy currency, with carbon dioxide and water as by-products. Energy is captured in NADH and FADH₂ during early stages and later used to generate large amounts of ATP in the final stage through the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.

Three Things Students Must Learn:

  1. The four stages of aerobic respiration (glycolysis, link reaction, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation) and what happens in each.

  2. The role of NAD and FAD in carrying hydrogen for ATP production.

  3. How the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis generate most of the ATP during oxidative phosphorylation.