Vocab Word | Answer (from textbook) | Helper/Anchor Phrase |
autotroph | organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer | "auto" = self; "troph" = feeder; "self feeder"; all plants and some microorganisms are autotrophs |
heterotroph | organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called a consumer | "hetero" = other; "troph" = feeder; "other feeder"; all animals and fungi are heterotrophs |
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) | compound used by cells to store and release energy | cell energy; remove a phosphate (ADP) to release the energy |
enzyme | protein catalyst that speeds up the rate of specific biological reactions | enzymes speed up reactions |
active site | the locations on enzymes where substrates can bind | "lock and key" model; substrates are the molecules either being built up into something bigger or broken down in a chemical reaction |
photosynthesis | process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches | 6 CO2 (carbon dioxide) + 6 H2O (water) --> C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 O2 (oxygen) |
chloroplast | organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy | organelle that lets plants do photosynthesis |
chlorophyll | principal pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms | "chloro" = green |
light-dependent reactions (photolysis) | set of reactions in photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and break down water | 1st step of photosynthesis; breaks down water to get some of the pieces needed to make a sugar |
light-independent reactions (Calvin Cycle) | set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light; energy from ATP is used to build high-energy compounds such as sugar; also called the Calvin Cycle | 2nd step of photosynthesis; step in which sugar is actually made |
cellular respiration | process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen | C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 O2 (oxygen) --> 6 CO2 (carbon dioxide) + 6 H2O (water) |
mitochondria | cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use (ATP) | the "powerhouse" of the cell; makes ATP (cell energy) |
glycolysis | first set of reactions in cellular respiration in which a molecule of glucose is broken into two molecules of pyruvic acid | happens in all organisms in the cytoplasm; starts the breakdown of sugar to get a little bit of energy (ATP) |
Krebs Cycle | second stage of cellular respiration in which pyruvic acid is broken down into carbon dioxide in a series of energy-extracting reactions | happens in the mitochondria; keeps breaking a sugar down into CO2 |
electron transport chain | series of reactions that move high-energy electrons during ATP-generating reactions | these reactions require oxygen (which is why we have to breathe it); |
anaerobic respiration (fermentation) | process that releases energy, but does NOT require oxygen | example: lactic acid fermentation and alcoholic fermentation |
| | |