What type of respiration yields the most ATP?

Aerobic respiration yields the most ATP because it utilizes oxygen to efficiently convert glucose into energy. During this process, glucose undergoes glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain, resulting in the production of a significant amount of ATP. Specifically, aerobic respiration can produce up to approximately 36 to 38 ATP molecules per molecule of glucose, depending on the efficiency of the cellular processes and the type of organism.

In contrast, anaerobic respiration occurs in environments lacking oxygen and relies on fermentation pathways that are less efficient in energy production. Anaerobic processes typically yield only 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule, which is substantially lower than what is achieved through aerobic respiration. Thus, the substantial difference in ATP yields clearly identifies aerobic respiration as the source of greater energy production for cellular activities.