Cellular Respiration

Cellular respiration in algae, as in all organisms, is the process by which food molecules are metabolized to obtain chemical energy for the cell. Most algae are aerobic (i.e., they live in the presence of oxygen), although a few Euglenophyceae can live anaerobically in environments without oxygen. The biochemical pathways for respiration in algae are similar to those of other eukaryotes; the initial breakdown of food molecules, such as sugars, fatty acids, and proteins, occurs in the cytoplasm, but the final high-energy-releasing steps occur inside the mitochondria.