What are the alternatives to oxygen as far as respiration for a life form? I know all animals need oxygen. What about anaerobic bacteria? Do they need any type of gas to breathe?
2007-12-22 17:45:48 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
there are bacteria who live using methane CH4
2007-12-22 17:52:58 · answer #1 · answered by maussy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no anaerobic bacteria dont need any kind of gas to survive....the name itself means "without air". every animal which uses the typical mechanism of cellular respiration will need oxygen, unless a new system which doesnt, and instead it can run on nitrogen for example is created. think of the mitochondira which is the oraganelle responsible for running cellular respiration as an engine. a diesel engine wont be able to run on gasoline and vise versa unless substantial modifications are made.
2007-12-23 04:04:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋