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Difficulty: EasyGaseous Exchange and Cellular Respiration

During anaerobic respiration in human skeletal muscle cells, what is the net number of ATP molecules produced per molecule of glucose broken down?

  1. 2 ATP moleculesAnswer
  2. B
    4 ATP molecules
  3. C
    36 ATP molecules
  4. D
    38 ATP molecules

Answer

The net number of ATP molecules produced per molecule of glucose during anaerobic respiration is 2 ATP molecules.
Anaerobic respiration yields a net total of 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule. This yield is produced exclusively through glycolysis, as subsequent fermentation steps do not synthesize further ATP.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cellular pathway and condition.
The process described is anaerobic respiration (lactic acid fermentation) in human muscle tissue.
Anaerobic respiration takes place in the absence of oxygen and relies solely on glycolysis to generate ATP.
2
Calculate the net ATP yield of glycolysis.
Glycolysis consumes 2 ATP molecules during glucose activation and produces 4 ATP molecules during energy recovery, leaving a net yield of 2 ATP molecules.
The conversion of pyruvate into lactic acid during fermentation regenerates NAD+ but produces no additional ATP.

Key Concept

ATP Yield of Anaerobic Respiration
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Topics

Gaseous Exchange and Cellular Respiration

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