Chapter 5- Energy & Photosynthesis Flashcards
Energy
The capacity to do work. Cellular work includes processes such as building complex molecules and moving substances into and out of the cell.
Biofuels
Renewable fuels made from living organisms. ex. plants and algae.
Fossil Fuels
Carbon-rich energy sources such as petroleum, natural gas and coal, that are formed from the compressed, fossilized remains of once-living organisms.
Chemical energy
Potential energy stored in the bonds of biological molecules
Conservation of Energy
The principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be transformed from one form to another.
Potential Energy
Stored energy
Kinetic Energy
the energy of motion or movement.
Heat
The kinetic energy generated by random movements of molecules or atoms.
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants and algae harness the energy of sunlight to make sugar from carbon dioxide and water.
Autotrophs
Organisms such as plants, algae, and certain bacteria that can make their own food from inorganic starting materials (ex. CO2).
Heterotrophs
Organisms, such as humans and other animals, that obtain energy by consuming organic molecules that were produced by other organisms.
Chloroplast
An organelle in plant and algal cells that is the site of photosynthesis.
Light Energy
A type of electromagnetic radiation that includes visible light.
Photons
Packets of light energy, each with a specific wavelength and quantity of energy.
Chlorophyll
The pigment present in the green parts of plants that absorbs photons of light energy during the “photo” reactions of photosynthesis.
