Aerobic respiration is a process of cellular respiration that uses oxygen in order to break down cells, which then release electrons and creating energy. In the process, aerobic respiration creates a substance known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is responsible for storing and carrying most of the energy to other body cells, thus making life as we know it possible. The other type of cellular respiration is known as anaerobic respiration.

When an animal eats food or when a plant makes its own energy through photosynthesis, that food is broken down into its most basic form of sugars. However, those sugars are useless to the body in that form. Therefore, a process of releasing the sugars contained in the food is needed in order to be used as energy by a cell. While oxygen may not be needed at the beginning of this process, in aerobic respiration, it will be needed so that the process can be completed.

There are two main byproducts of aerobic respiration. Because cellular structures are being changed with the transfer of electrons, there are chemical changes that go along with cellular respiration. The two main products coming from such respiration are water and carbon dioxide.

Aerobic respiration is often described as being broken down into three main stages, though depending on how detailed one wants to get, there could be many more. The first major stage is called glycolysis. It is at this point ATP is created and there are waste products of carbon dioxide created as well. The second stage is known as Kreb's cycle. This takes some of the leftover carbon not used in the first stage and puts them through another series of complex chemical reactions, thus creating molecules known as NADH and FADH2. The third step is a process known as electron transport phosphorylation. This creates even more ATP for use by converting those other molecules for that purpose.

Oxygen is used as a receptor for electrons in aerobic respiration, as it makes a good receptor for electrons. Once the oxygen receives the electrons, it then converts them into water. This is done so that electrons do not build up in the ATP, which could cause problems. For cells that use anaerobic respiration instead of aerobic respiration, lactic acid is produced in the place of water.

It should be noted that both aerobic and anaerobic respiration are capable of producing energy. Cells that even normally use aerobic respiration may be able to use the other form not requiring oxygen if needed. However, this can usually be done for a short period of time.