Anaerobic respiration does involve the use of ATP, but the process is quite different from aerobic respiration. In anaerobic respiration, organisms generate energy without the use of oxygen. This typically occurs in environments where oxygen is limited or absent.
During this process, glucose is broken down to produce ATP, although it generates less energy compared to aerobic respiration. For example, in yeast and some bacteria, anaerobic respiration results in the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products, while in muscle cells, it can produce lactic acid.
Even though anaerobic respiration is less efficient—yielding only 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule compared to the 36-38 ATP produced in aerobic conditions—ATP is indeed used to sustain cellular functions during anaerobic processes. Therefore, while the total earnings of ATP are lower, it plays a crucial role in energy production in anaerobic conditions.