How Do Plants Use Aerobic And Anaerobic Respiration?

Question: How do plants use Aerobic and anaerobic respiration?

Explanation:

Before getting into all the science lets use a quick abbreviation, bare with me it will help! Lets say I was hungry and wanted to get some food. If I had food in the fridge or ordered takeaway, I would maybe just heat up the prepped meal a little then gobble up. Easy right? However, if all I had were plain ingredients/ parts that are not appetising/ filling on their own, I would have to invest time and effort to make this meal, yet the end result is the same... I would just eat it.

For plants, photosynthesis is the cooking of the meal and respiration is gobbling it up! This is because photosynthesis is making a nutritious sugar called glucose from parts in the air, leaves and roots and then glucose is used in aerobic respiration to make chemical energy that the plant can use for growth and maintenance. Here are the equations for energy pathways in plants:

Photosynthesis: Carbon + water + light energy from the sun -> glucose + oxygen + water

Aerobic respiration: glucose + oxygen -> Carbon dioxide + water + chemical energy (ATP)

Now it is important to also understand plants during the day undergo more photosynthesis in the day then night due to lack of sun. Therefore, during the day as they produce glucose, they will have more then they need for the plants function and leave some excess glucose in glucose storage called starch. Then, during the night, these storage are depleted through aerobic respiration as the plant is producing less glucose through photosynthesis then normal. Therefore, glucose is depleted during night and made during the day.

If the net glucose levels is lower then what the plant needs to function , reduction of the ability of glycolysis (break down of glucose) occurs due to lack of ATP for initial steps. This may cause an increase in anaerobic respiration or irregular respiration/ production of ATP.

Under a-lot of wind, low gaseous oxygen or low water-dissolved oxygen, anaerobic respiration may occur. Anaerobic respiration is respiration without oxygen and this is universal for all pathways.

While animals produce lactic acid in anaerobic conditions from glucose and have a reversible anaerobic process (under oxygen), it is important to remember plants are different. Plants have a similar anaerobic respiration pathway to fungi such as yeast where they break down glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide to produce small concentrations of ATP. However, it is very important to remember this pathway is not sustainable and reversible which is why if plants stay in poor conditions, they will either grow abnormally or die.

This was an example of how I would explain the above concept to a student. However it is important to remember different students learn in different ways and if I saw a student was struggling I would take another approach or happily take my time with some concepts. I am really happy tutoring these types of students as I would have more of a positive impact and I really am happy to help. Also some students learn better vocally then by reading but I hope this article can at least help the majority.