Aerobic respiration is a process of cellular respiration that takes place in the presence of oxygen gas to produce energy from food. It is common in most plants, animals, birds, humans, and other mammals. The complete process of aerobic respiration occurs in four different stages/Unit_7%3A_Microbial_Genetics_and_Microbial_Metabolism/18%3A_Microbial_Metabolism/18.3%3A_Aerobic_Respiration):

1. Glycolysis: This is the primary step of aerobic respiration and takes place within the cytosol of the cell. During glycolysis, glucose molecules are split and separated into two ATP and two NADH molecules, which are later used in the process of aerobic respiration.

2. Formation of Acetyl Coenzyme A: In this step, pyruvate is brought into the mitochondria to be oxidized, creating a 2-carbon acetyl group. This 2-carbon acetyl group then binds with coenzyme A, forming acetyl coenzyme A. The acetyl coenzyme A is then brought back into the mitochondria for use in the next step.

3. Citric Acid Cycle: This is also called the Krebs cycle and takes place in the matrix of mitochondria. Here, oxaloacetate combines with the acetyl coenzyme A, creating citric acid. The citric acid cycle undergoes a series of reactions and produces 2 molecules of carbon dioxide, 1 molecule of ATP, and reduced forms of NADH and FADH.

4. Electron Transport Chain: This is the last step in aerobic respiration and takes place in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In this phase, large amounts of ATP molecules are produced by transferring the electrons from NADH and FADH. A single molecule of glucose creates a total of 34 ATP molecules.

Overall, aerobic respiration is a complex process that involves the breakdown of glucose and other organic compounds to create ATP, which is then used as energy by nearly every cell in the body. Carbon dioxide and water are created as byproducts.