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Q.What are the types of respiration present in bacteria? Explain any one of them.

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC First Year (DGE) Board 2019Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Bacteria respire either aerobically (using O2 as the final electron acceptor) or anaerobically (using an inorganic acceptor other than O2); aerobic respiration, explained below, gives complete oxidation and a high ATP yield.

Bacterial respiration is of two types, depending on the terminal electron acceptor used in the electron transport chain:

  1. Aerobic respiration — molecular oxygen (O2) acts as the final electron acceptor. The respiratory substrate (e.g. glucose or another organic compound) is completely oxidised all the way to CO2 and H2O, releasing a large amount of energy that is trapped as a high yield of ATP. Examples: chemoautotrophic bacteria such as Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas, and most free-living heterotrophic aerobic bacteria.
  2. Anaerobic respiration — an inorganic substance OTHER than O2 (such as nitrate, sulphate, or carbonate) serves as the terminal electron acceptor. The substrate is only incompletely oxidised, so the energy released — and hence the ATP yield — is much lower than in aerobic respiration. Examples: denitrifying bacteria (use nitrate) and sulphate-reducing bacteria (use sulphate). …

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