1. Glycolysis: This is the first stage of cellular respiration, occurring in the cytoplasm of the cell. It breaks down glucose into pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).
2. Cellular Respiration: This process is divided into three main stages:
* Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle): Occurs in the mitochondria, further breaking down pyruvate to generate more ATP, NADH, and FADH2 (flavin adenine dinucleotide).
* Electron Transport Chain: Also occurs in the mitochondria, using the NADH and FADH2 produced in the previous stages to drive a series of reactions that generate a large amount of ATP. This process is called oxidative phosphorylation.
These processes collectively extract energy from glucose and store it in the form of ATP, which is the main energy currency of cells.
