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Here is a Khan Academy video with an introduction into cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration is a process that converts the energy stored in the sugar, that was produced in photosynthesis, into energy that the organism can use for other life processes.
It takes place in special organelles called mitochondria. Cellular respiration uses oxygen to release the energy from the sugar. This is why we need oxygen to survive, without it we cannot release the energy from our food.
Some cells that need a lot of energy, like muscle cells, will have hundreds to thousands of mitochondria. Other cells, like neurons (brain cells), don't need quite as many. If a cell needs more energy then it can produce more mitochondria.
It is important to note that any organism that need to get the energy from the sugars created during photosynthesis would need to be able to do cellular respiration. This means that plants still have to do respiration if they want to use the energy from the sugar they created. ALL ORGANISMS DO CELLULAR RESPIRATION!
Would a mongoose need to do respiration? Yes!
A naked mole rat? Yes!
A tree? YES!
A cactus? YESSSSSSHHHH!
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