Which type of respiration requires oxygen?

Aerobic respiration is the type of cellular respiration that requires oxygen to produce energy. This process occurs in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells and is significantly more efficient than anaerobic processes, yielding up to 36-38 ATP molecules from one molecule of glucose. During aerobic respiration, glucose is fully oxidized with oxygen acting as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain, allowing for maximum energy extraction.

In contrast, anaerobic respiration and fermentation do not utilize oxygen and result in lower energy yields. Glycolysis, although it can initiate both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, does not require oxygen itself; it occurs in the cytoplasm and can function in both oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor environments. Therefore, the requirement of oxygen specifically identifies aerobic respiration as the correct answer.