Any organism, environmental condition, or cellular process that requires atmospheric oxygen. Aerobic microorganisms, called aerobes, require the presence of oxygen for growth. An aerobe is capable of using oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor and can tolerate oxygen levels higher than that present in the air (21 percent oxygen). They have a respiratory type of metabolism, and some aerobes may also be capable of growing anaerobically with electron accepters other than oxygen.
