where does cellular respiration occur inthe cell

Cellular respiration happens mainly in the mitochondria , but it starts in the cytoplasm of the cell.

Quick Scoop: Short Answer

• In eukaryotic cells (like plant and animal cells):
  • Glycolysis happens in the cytoplasm.

* The rest of the steps (pyruvate oxidation, Krebs/citric acid cycle, electron transport chain) happen in the **mitochondria**.

• In prokaryotic cells (like bacteria):
  • Cellular respiration happens in the cytoplasm and across the cell membrane , because they do not have mitochondria.

In school-level biology, when someone asks “where does cellular respiration occur in the cell?”, the expected answer is usually: in the mitochondria (after glycolysis in the cytoplasm).

Mini Breakdown of Locations (Eukaryotic Cell)

Here’s how the stages are distributed:

• Glycolysis → cytoplasm (cytosol).

• Pyruvate oxidation → mitochondrial matrix.

• Krebs (citric acid) cycle → mitochondrial matrix.

• Electron transport chain & oxidative phosphorylation → inner mitochondrial membrane (cristae).

You can imagine glycolysis as happening “outside the powerhouse”, and the rest of the steps happening “inside the powerhouse rooms” of the mitochondria.

Tiny HTML Table (For Study Notes)

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Stage</th>
      <th>Main Location in Cell</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Glycolysis</td>
      <td>Cytoplasm (cytosol)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Pyruvate oxidation</td>
      <td>Mitochondrial matrix</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Krebs / Citric acid cycle</td>
      <td>Mitochondrial matrix</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Electron transport chain &amp; oxidative phosphorylation</td>
      <td>Inner mitochondrial membrane (cristae)</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.