Final Exam - Biology Flashcards
Cell organelles
Small structures within a cell that perform specific functions, similar to organs in the body.
Different functions of organelles
- Storing genetic information (nucleus)
- Producing energy (mitochondria)
- Synthesizing proteins (ribosomes)
- Packaging proteins (golgi apparatus)
- Breaking down waste materials (lysosomes)
Cell membrane
The thin, flexible barrier that surrounds every cell.
Cell membrane function
Controls the movement of molecules in and out of the cell.
Water
It is essential for all life forms.
Properties of water
- Polarity
- Cohesion
- Adhesion
- Surface Tension
- High Specific Heat
- Ability to dissolve other substances.
Polarity
The tendency of living organisms to develop with distinct ends, or to grow in particular directions.
Cohesion
The tendency of like molecules to stick together, due to hydrogen bonds.
Adhesion
The tendency of two unfamiliar substances to cling to one another.
High specific heat
A substances ability to absorb a large amount of heat energy before its temperature significantly changes.
Cell cycle
The ordered series of events that a cell goes through as it grows, prepares for division, and eventually divides into two new daughter cells.
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (sugar) and oxygen.
Light dependent reactions
The initial stage of photosynthesis where light energy from the sun is captured by chlorophyll pigments within chloroplasts, and converted into chemical energy like ATP and NADPH, which is then turned into sugar molecules.
Light independent reactions
A series of chemical reactions within photosynthesis that occur in the stroma of chloroplasts, where carbon dioxide is converted into sugar molecules using the energy stored in ATP and NADPH.
Structure of chloroplast
A double membrane bound organelle containing stacks of flattened sacs called thylakoids, embedded within a fluid matrix called the stroma.
