III. Carbohydrates, Structures and Types Flashcards
What are carbohydrates, and why do animals need them?
Carbohydrates are important nutrients found in plants, making up most of the plant’s dry weight. Animals need them because they are the main source of energy.
How do animals get energy from carbohydrates?
When animals eat plants, they break down the carbohydrates in those plants to get energy, similar to how plants use sunlight to make carbohydrates.
What are monosaccharides? Can you give examples?
Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars, like glucose (blood sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), and galactose. They are important because they are the building blocks of more complex sugars.
What are disaccharides? Can you give examples?
Disaccharides are sugars made of two monosaccharides linked together. Examples include table sugar (sucrose), milk sugar (lactose), and malt sugar (maltose).
What are oligosaccharides, and why are they important?
Oligosaccharides are sugars made of 3 to 15 monosaccharides. They are important because they help good bacteria grow in the gut, which is good for digestion.
What are polysaccharides, and what do they do?
Polysaccharides are long chains of monosaccharides. They include starch, which stores energy, and cellulose, which gives structure to plant cell walls.
How are starch and cellulose different?
Starch is made of glucose units that animals can digest, while cellulose is also made of glucose units but in a way that most animals can’t digest, except for animals like cows that have special bacteria in their stomachs.
In what form do sugars that animals use for energy exist?
Sugars that animals use for energy exist in a specific form called the D-form, which refers to how the atoms in the sugar are arranged.
What is a glycosidic bond, and why does it matter?
A glycosidic bond is a link between two sugar molecules. The type of link affects whether the sugar can be easily digested by animals.
What are the two types of starch, and where are they found?
The two types of starch are amylose (a straight chain of glucose) and amylopectin (a branched chain of glucose). Amylopectin is the main type of starch found in cereal grains.
What is the main source of energy for animals?
Glucose is the main sugar that animals use for energy.
