Anaerobic respiration

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Anaerobic respiration is respiration using inorganic electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (O2) in its electron transport chain. It differs from fermentation, a biochemical reaction which transfers electrons to organic compounds.. In aerobic organisms, electrons are shuttled to an electron transport chain, and the final electron acceptor is oxygen. Molecular oxygen is an excellent electron acceptor. Anaerobes instead use less-oxidizing (in either thermodynamic or kinetics sense) substances such as nitrate (NO−3), fumarate (C4H2O2−4), sulfate (SO2−4), or elemental sulfur (S), among others. These terminal electron acceptors have smaller reduction potentials than O2. Less energy per oxidized molecule is released. Therefore, anaerobic respiration is less efficient than aerobic.

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