Under anaerobic conditions (a lack of oxygen), the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl coa stops. which of these statements is the correct explanation for this observation? which of these statements is the correct explanation for this observation? a) oxygen is required to convert glucose to pyruvate in glycolysis. without oxygen, no pyruvate can be made. b)atp is needed to convert pyruvate to acetyl coa. without oxygen, no atp can be made in oxidative phosphorylation. c)oxygen is an input to acetyl coa formation. d) in the absence of oxygen, electron transport stops. nadh is no longer converted to nad+, which is needed for the first three stages of cellular respiration.