Cellular respiration takes place in different parts of the cell depending on the type of organism and the stage of the process:
- In eukaryotic cells (such as plants, animals, and fungi), cellular respiration begins in the cytoplasm with glycolysis, where glucose is broken down into pyruvate. The subsequent stages-pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid (Krebs) cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation-occur inside the mitochondria. Specifically, pyruvate oxidation and the citric acid cycle take place in the mitochondrial matrix , while oxidative phosphorylation occurs along the inner mitochondrial membrane (cristae)
- In prokaryotic cells (which lack mitochondria), cellular respiration occurs entirely in the cytoplasm
Thus, the main cellular locations for cellular respiration are the cytoplasm and mitochondria in eukaryotes, and the cytoplasm in prokaryotes.
