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Multiple Choice
During exercise, when the body lacks an adequate supply of oxygen, which metabolic pathway is primarily used to generate ATP in muscle cells?
A
Aerobic respiration
B
Photosynthesis
C
Alcoholic fermentation
D
Lactic acid fermentation
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the context: During exercise, when oxygen supply is insufficient, cells must rely on anaerobic pathways to generate ATP because aerobic respiration requires oxygen.
Recall the key metabolic pathways: Aerobic respiration uses oxygen, photosynthesis occurs in plants and is unrelated to ATP production in muscle cells, and alcoholic fermentation is a process used by some microorganisms, not human muscle cells.
Identify the anaerobic pathway in human muscle cells: Lactic acid fermentation is the primary anaerobic process used by muscle cells to generate ATP when oxygen is limited.
Explain the process: In lactic acid fermentation, glucose is broken down into pyruvate through glycolysis, and then pyruvate is converted into lactic acid, regenerating NAD⁺ to allow glycolysis to continue producing ATP.
Conclude: The correct answer is lactic acid fermentation because it is the pathway that enables ATP production in muscle cells under low oxygen conditions.