Like other living things bacteria respire. They oxidize food materials present in the cytoplasm to obtain energy. Most bacteria make use of the free oxygen of the atmosphere or oxygen dissolved in the liquid environment. They are called the aerobes or aerobic bacteria.

Do bacteria do aerobic respiration?

Aerobic cellular respiration uses oxygen to make ATP, a form of energy the cell can easily spend to do work. Many prokaryotes, small simple cells like bacteria, can perform aerobic cellular respiration. These cells will move electrons back and forth across their cell membrane.

Do bacteria do aerobic or anaerobic respiration?

Many types of bacteria respire anaerobically. In other words, they can go through the process of respiration without oxygen present.