What type of system is glycolysis categorized as?

Glycolysis is categorized as both an aerobic and anaerobic system because it can occur in the presence or absence of oxygen. In the glycolytic pathway, glucose is broken down into pyruvate, which can then enter the aerobic pathway—if oxygen is available—to produce additional energy through the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Alternatively, if oxygen is not present, glycolysis can still occur, producing lactate (in animals) or ethanol and carbon dioxide (in yeast) through fermentation processes. This dual functionality allows glycolysis to be an essential metabolic pathway for energy production under varying cellular conditions.