Cellular Processes Flashcards
an organism that is able to make its own food (producer).
autotroph
an organism that depends on other organisms for food (consumer).
heterotroph
a compound that serves as temporary energy storage molecules in all cells.
ATP adenosine triphosphate
the molecule that is produced when ATP is split to yield energy.
ADP
the process whereby simple sugars are formed from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light and chlorophyll.
photosynthesis
the green pigment of plant cells that is necessary for photosynthesis, the main catalyst in photosynthesis.
chlorophyll
a light-absorbing molecule that function in photosynthesis.
pigment
the first phase of photosynthesis; requires light energy to energize electrons in pigments.
light-dependent phase
a series of aerobic reactions that release energy as they combine hydrogen and oxygen to form water.
electron transport chain
the most common pathway of photosynthesis; also called the carbon fixation cycle or light-independent phase.
Calvin cycle
material within the chloroplast that surrounds the grana of thylakoids.
stroma
an enzyme necessary for the conversion of phosphates and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP synthase
a process whereby certain organisms obtain cellular energy from the breakdown of inorganic chemicals.
chemosynthesis
the breakdown of food (glucose) to release energy, including both aerobic and anaerobic occurs in the mitochondria
cellular respiration
not requiring oxygen.
anaerobic
requiring oxygen.
aerobic
the breakdown of glucose to pyruvic acid during cellular respiration. does not require oxygen, occurs in the cytoplasm, then the produces gets transferred to the mitochondria
glycolysis
the stage of aerobic cellular respiration in which pyruvic acid reacts with an enzyme that removes a carbon from the pyruvic acid to produce acetyl CoA, CO2, hydrogen ions, ATP, and electrons; also called the citric acid cycle.
Krebs cycle
a two-carbon substance found in many cellular metabolism.
acetyl CoA (acetyl coenzyme A)
the anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrates to pyruvic acid, and then to alcohol and carbon dioxide or lactic acid.
fermentation
the sum of all reactions that occur in a living organism. controls how a cell behaves
metabolism
group of three bases, form a code for a particular amino acid.
codon
the RNA molecule that carries the code for a polypeptide chain from the DNA.
mRNA messenger RNA
the RNA molecule that carries (transfers) a specific amino acid to the ribosome during protein synthesis.
transfer RNA tRNA
the triplet of nucleotides on transfer RNA that will pair with the codon of the messenger RNA to line up amino acids during protein synthesis.
anticodon
ribosomal RNA; the RNA molecule that combines with proteins to form a ribosome.
rRNA
the process of manufacturing polypeptide chains of amino acids.
translation
a section of RNA that is kept when forming messenger RNA.
exon
a section of RNA that is cut out when forming messenger RNA.
intron
the breakdown of substances within cells.
intracellular digestion
the breakdown of substances that occurs in spaces outside the cells such as within the stomach or intestine.
extracellular digestion
breaking down molecules to release energy
catabolism
building molecules to store energy
anabolism
