AMS - Unit 1 List 2

Question 1

Autotroph

Answer 1

An organism that serves as a primary producer in a food chain. Autotrophs obtain energy and nutrients by harnessing sunlight through photosynthesis (photoautotrophs) or, more rarely, obtain chemical energy through oxidation (chemoautotrophs) to make organic substances from inorganic ones.

Question 2

Light Reaction

Answer 2

The light-dependent reaction is a photochemical reaction taking place in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, where light energy is transformed into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH).

Question 3

Chlorophyll

Answer 3

A green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Its molecule contains a magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring.

Question 4

Photosynthesis

Answer 4

The process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.

Question 5

Calvin Cycle

Answer 5

The Calvin cycle is a process that plants and algae use to turn carbon dioxide from the air into sugar, the food autotrophs need to grow.

Question 6

Electron Transport Chain

Answer 6

The electron transport chain is a series of four protein complexes that couple redox reactions, creating an electrochemical gradient that leads to the creation of ATP in a complete system named oxidative phosphorylation.

Question 7

Pigment

Answer 7

The natural coloring matter of animal or plant tissue.

Question 7

NADPH

Answer 7

NADPH is also known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. NADPH is an important electron donor found in all living organisms. NADPH is essential for nucleic acid and lipid production.

Question 8

Granum

Answer 8

A granum is a coin-shaped stack of thylakoids, which are the membrane-like structures found inside the chloroplasts of plant cells

Question 9

Stomata

Answer 9

Stomata are the tiny openings present on the epidermis of leaves. Stomata play an important role in gaseous exchange and photosynthesis.

Question 10

Carbon Fixation

Answer 10

Carbon fixation is the process by which plants and algae convert the carbon found in inorganic molecules in the atmosphere into organic matter to produce biological building blocks and fuel for cellular respiration.

Question 11

Heterotroph

Answer 11

A heterotroph is an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients.

Question 12

Thylakoids

Answer 12

Thylakoids are tiny compartments found inside of chloroplasts. Their role is to help absorb sunlight in order for photosynthesis to occur. They contain all of the chlorophyll that the plant has which, in turn, allows for the absorption of sunlight.

Question 13

Cartenoids

Answer 13

Carotenoids are pigments in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria. These pigments produce the bright yellow, red, and orange colors in plants, vegetables, and fruits. Carotenoids act as a type of antioxidant for humans. There are more than 600 different types of carotenoids.

Question 14

Mitochondrial Matrix

Answer 14

The mitochondrial matrix is the inner space surrounded by the mitochondrial inner membrane, which contains several proteins, such as enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, fatty acid oxidation, amino acid degradation, and other biochemical reactions.

Question 15

Aerobic Respiration

Answer 15

A chemical process in which oxygen is used to make energy from carbohydrates (sugars).

Question 16

Fermentation

Answer 16

Fermentation is the process in which a substance breaks down into a simpler substance. Microorganisms like yeast and bacteria usually play a role in the fermentation process, creating beer, wine, bread, kimchi, yogurt and other foods.

Question 17

NAD+

Answer 17

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme central to metabolism. Found in all living cells, NAD is called a dinucleotide because it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an adenine nucleobase and the other, nicotinamide.

Question 18

Alcoholic Fermentation

Answer 18

Ethanol fermentation, also called alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process which converts sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose into cellular energy, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products.

Question 19

Glycolysis

Answer 19

Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate and, in most organisms, occurs in the liquid part of cells. The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy molecules adenosine triphosphate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.

Question 20

NADH

Answer 20

NADH is a coenzyme found in all living cells; consists of two nucleotides joined through their 5’-phosphate groups, with one nucleotide containing an adenine base and the other containing nicotinamide. It has a role as a fundamental metabolite and a cofactor. It is a NAD(P)H and a NAD.

Question 21

Anaerobic Respiration

Answer 21

Anaerobic respiration is respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (O2)

Question 22

Cellular Respiration

Answer 22

Cellular respiration is a series of chemical reactions that break down glucose to produce ATP, which may be used as energy to power many reactions throughout the body. There are three main steps of cellular respiration: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Question 23

Krebs Cycle

Answer 23

The Krebs cycle summarizes a circular series of reactions in the mitochondria to metabolize AcCoA to two molecules of CO2 with resultant generation of one molecule of GTP, three molecules of NADH, and one molecule of FADH2. GTP is equivalent to ATP in terms of energy charge.

Question 24

Pyruvic Acid

Answer 24

Pyruvic Acid refers to an acid that is formed from carbohydrates during the process of glycolysis and can be produced using various saccharides and polysaccharides, such as starch, with the involvement of Trichosporon cutaneum.

Question 25

Citric Acid

Answer 25

Citric acid is an organic compound with the skeletal formula HOC(CH₂CO₂H)₂. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms.

Question 26

ATP

Answer 26

Adenosine triphosphate is a nucleotide that provides energy to drive and support many processes in living cells, such as muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, and chemical synthesis.

Question 27

ADP

Answer 27

Adenosine diphosphate, also known as adenosine pyrophosphate, is an important organic compound in metabolism and is essential to the flow of energy in living cells.