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Biology Definitions > Energy Transfers in and Between Organisms > Flashcards

Energy Transfers in and Between Organisms Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is acetyl coenzyme A?

A

A two-carbon molecule formed in the link reaction when acetate reacts with coenzyme A. It is oxidised in the Krebs cycle

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2
Q

What is adenosine triphosphate (ATP)?

A

Universal energy carrier found in all living cells

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3
Q

What is aerobic respiration?

A

A form of cellular respiration that takes place in the presence of oxygen and produces carbon dioxide, water and ATP

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4
Q

What is ammonification?

A

The production of ammonia when saprobiontic microorganisms feed on organic nitrogen-containing compounds.

Ammonium ions are formed and added to the soil

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5
Q

What is anaerobic respiration?

A

​A form of cellular respiration that takes place in the absence of oxygen.

In animals, lactate is produced.

In plants and microorganisms, ethanol and carbon dioxide are produced.

Less ATP is formed than in aerobic respiration.

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6
Q

What are artificial fertilisers?

A

Man-made compounds generally containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that are used to increase the mineral content of soils

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7
Q

What is ATP synthase?

A

An enzyme found embedded in cellular membranes that phosphorylates ADP to form ATP as protons flow through it

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8
Q

What is biomass?

A

The total mass of organic material, measured in a specific area over a set time period. This can be calculated in terms of dry mass or mass of carbon per given area

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9
Q

What is calorimetry?

A

A technique used to estimate the chemical energy store in dry biomass

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10
Q

What are carnivores?

A

Animals that prey on and eat other animals.

They can be secondary or tertiary
consumers

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11
Q

What is chemiosmotic theory?

A

The synthesis of ATP through the movement of protons down their concentration gradient across a semipermeable membrane, catalysed by ATP synthase

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12
Q

What is chlorophyll?

A

A photosynthetic pigment located in the thylakoids of chloroplasts that absorbs light energy and becomes ionised

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13
Q

What are coenzymes?

A

Molecules that help enzymes carry out their function

e.g. NAD, FAD, NADP

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14
Q

What are consumers?

A

Organisms that feed on other organisms to obtain energy

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15
Q

What is denitrification?

A

The conversion of nitrate ions to nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria

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16
Q

What is denitrifying bacteria?

A

Anaerobic microorganisms found in waterlogged soils responsible for the reduction of nitrate ions to nitrogen gas

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17
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The community of organisms (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of an area and their interactions

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18
Q

What is an electron acceptor?

A

Oxygen acts as the final electron acceptor in the electron transfer chain

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19
Q

What is an electron transfer chain?

A

​A series of electron carrier proteins that transfer electrons in a
chain of oxidation-reduction reactions

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20
Q

What is eutrophication?

A

When a body of water becomes excessively rich with nutrients (often from fertilisers)

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21
Q

What is FAD?

A

A carrier molecule that becomes reduced when it takes up protons and electrons during the Krebs cycle, forming reduced FAD.

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22
Q

What is a food chain?

A

Describes the feeding relationships between organisms and the resultant stages of biomass transfer

producer -> primary consumer -> secondary consumer -> tertiary consumer

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23
Q

What is a food web?

A

The interconnection of many different food chains in a habitat

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24
Q

What is a glycerate 3-phosphate (GP)?

A

A three-carbon molecule which is reduced by reduced NADP in the light-independent stage of photosynthesis to form two molecules of triose phosphate (TP)

This requires ATP

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25
Q

What is glycolysis?

A

The first stage of aerobic and anaerobic respiration that takes place in the cytosol of the cell and breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate.

Two molecules of ATP and two molecules of reduced NAD are also formed

26
Q

What is gross primary production (​GPP​)?

A

The total amount of chemical energy stored in plant biomass in a set area or volume

27
Q

What are herbivores?

A

Animals that eat plants, also known as primary consumers

28
Q

What is the krebs cycle?

A

A series of oxidation-reduction reactions in the matrix of the mitochondria in which acetyl coenzyme A is oxidised generating reduced NAD, reduced FAD, ATP and carbon dioxide

29
Q

What is leaching?

A

The loss of nutrients from the soil due to rainwater

30
Q

What is a light-dependent reaction:?

A

The second stage of photosynthesis that uses light energy to produce ATP, reduced NADP and oxygen (by-product).

It takes place in the thylakoids of the chloroplast

31
Q

What is a light-independent reaction?

A

The third stage of photosynthesis, also known as the Calvin cycle, in which the products of the light-dependent stage and carbon dioxide are used to form a simple sugar.

This stage does not require light energy and takes place in the stroma of the chloroplast

32
Q

What is a limiting factor?

A

A variable that limits the rate of a particular reaction

33
Q

What is a link reaction?

A

The second stage of aerobic respiration that takes place in the mitochondrial matrix and converts pyruvate into acetyl coenzyme A and carbon dioxide. Reduced NAD is also formed

34
Q

What is mycorrhizae?

A

Mutualistic associations between some species of fungi and the roots of many plants that retain water and minerals around the roots

35
Q

What is NAD?

A

A carrier molecule that becomes reduced when it takes up protons and electrons during aerobic respiration, forming reduced NAD

36
Q

What is NADP?

A

A carrier molecule that becomes reduced when it takes up protons and electrons during the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis, forming reduced NADP

37
Q

What are natural fertilisers?

A

Dead and decaying organic matter used to increase the mineral content of soils

38
Q

What is net primary productivity (​NPP​)?

A

The chemical energy store that remains when energy losses due to respiration are subtracted from the total energy store.

This is used in plant growth or reproduction and is also available to other trophic levels

39
Q

What is net production of consumers (​N​)?

A

Calculated by subtracting the chemical energy lost due to respiration (​R​) and as a result of excretion and egestion (​F​) from the chemical energy stored in ingested food (​I)​

N = I - (F + R)

40
Q

What is nitrification?

A

The conversion of ammonium ions to nitrate ions by nitrifying bacteria.

This takes place in two stages:

  • ammonium ions are oxidised to nitrite ions
  • nitrite ions are oxidised to nitrate ions
41
Q

What is nitrifying bacteria?

A

Aerobic microorganisms found in the soil responsible for the oxidation of ammonium ions to nitrate ions

42
Q

What is the nitrogen cycle?

A

The cycle through which nitrogen moves between living organisms and the environment, involving ammonification, nitrification, nitrogen fixation and denitrification

43
Q

What is nitrogen fixation?

A

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil or root nodules of legumes

44
Q

What is nitrogen-fixing bacteria?

A

Microorganisms responsible for the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds.

They can be free-living or mutualistic

45
Q

What is oxidation?

A

The loss of electrons, gain of oxygen or loss of hydrogen in a substance

46
Q

What is oxidative phosphorylation?

A

The synthesis of ATP from reduced coenzymes and oxygen in the electron transfer chain of aerobic respiration

47
Q

What is the phosphorus cycle?

A

The cycle through which phosphorus (in the form of phosphate ions) moves between living organisms and the environment.

This involves absorption by plants, feeding, digestion and excretion

by animals, sedimentation and erosion of rocks and the decay of guano, bones and shells

48
Q

What is photoionisation?

A

The process by which a molecule of chlorophyll is ionised.

A chlorophyll molecule absorbs light energy causing a pair of electrons within it to become excited, raised to a higher energy level, and leave the molecule

49
Q

What is photolysis?

A

he splitting of a molecule of water in the presence of light that occurs during the light-dependent stage of photosynthesis.

This produces protons, electrons and oxygen

50
Q

What is photosynthesis?

A

A complex metabolic pathway that consists of three main stages:

capturing of light energy, light-dependent reaction, light-independent reaction

51
Q

What is primary productivity?

A

he rate of primary production; the energy fixed by photosynthesis in a given area in a given period of time

52
Q

What are producers?

A

Photosynthetic organisms at the start of the food chain that manufacture biomass (using light energy, carbon dioxide, water and mineral ions) for all living things

53
Q

What is a pyruvate?

A

A three-carbon molecule produced in glycolysis.

In aerobic respiration, pyruvate is oxidised to acetate in the link reaction.

In anaerobic respiration it is converted to lactate (animals) or ethanol and carbon dioxide (plants and microorganisms)

54
Q

What is reduction?

A

The gain of electrons, loss of oxygen or gain of hydrogen in a substance

55
Q

What is a ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP)?

A

A five-carbon compound which reacts with carbon dioxide in the light-independent stage of photosynthesis to form two molecules of glycerate 3-phosphate (GP)

56
Q

What is a rubisco?

A

An enzyme that catalyses the reaction of RuBP and carbon dioxide in the light-independent stage of photosynthesis

57
Q

What are saprobionts?

A

Microorganisms that break down dead plant and animal material into simpler organic matter to obtain nutrients.

Also known as saprophytes

58
Q

What is secondary productivity?

A

he rate of secondary production; the rate at which animals convert the chemical energy in plants they eat into their own biomass in a given area in a given period of time

59
Q

What is a substrate-level phosphorylation?

A

The synthesis of ATP by the transfer of a phosphate group from a phosphorylated intermediate to ADP

60
Q

What is a triose phosphate (TP)​?

A

A three-carbon compound formed in the light-independent stage of photosynthesis that may be converted into useful organic substances or used to regenerate ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP)

61
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

The position of an organism in a food chain

Biology Definitions (7 decks)

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