photosynthesis vocab

Question 1

autotroph

Answer 1

an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals

Question 2

light reactions

Answer 2

the process of photosynthesis that converts energy from the sun into chemical energy in the form of NADPH and ATP

Question 3

chlorophyll

Answer 3

the green pigment in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that is essential for photosynthesis.

Question 4

Calvin cycle

Answer 4

A series of chemical reactions that occurs as part of the dark reactions of photosynthesis

Question 5

electron transport chain

Answer 5

a series of four protein complexes that couple redox reactions, creating an electrochemical gradient that leads to the creation of ATP in a complete system named oxidative phosphorylation

Question 6

NADPH

Answer 6

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, represents an important electron donor that is used in a variety of biological settings

Question 7

pigment

Answer 7

Pigments are defined as colored, black, white or fluorescent particulate organic or inorganic solids, which are insoluble in, and essentially physically and chemically unaffected by, the vehicle or substrate in which they are incorporated

Question 8

photosynthesis

Answer 8

A chemical process that occurs in plants, algae, and some types of bacteria, when they are exposed to sunlight

Question 9

granum

Answer 9

a stack of coin-shaped thylakoids in the chloroplasts of plant cells

Question 10

stomata

Answer 10

a pore or aperture surrounded by two guard cells that allow gas exchange

Question 11

carbon fixation

Answer 11

the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic molecules by autotrophic organisms

Question 12

heterotrophs

Answer 12

an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients

Question 13

Thylakoids

Answer 13

pouch-like sacs that are bound to a membrane in the chloroplasts of a plant cell

Question 14

cerotenoids

Answer 14

tetraterpene pigments, which exhibit yellow, orange, red and purple colors

Question 15

mitochondrial respiration

Answer 15

a gel-like material in the mitochondrion, or organelle that performs the process of aerobic respiration, that contains ribosomes resembling those of bacteria

Question 16

Aerobic respiration

Answer 16

A chemical process in which oxygen is used to make energy from carbohydrates (sugars)

Question 17

Fermentation

Answer 17

chemical process by which molecules such as glucose are broken down anaerobically

Question 18

NAD+

Answer 18

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an important coenzyme for redox reactions, making it central to energy metabolism

Question 19

Alcoholic fermentation

Answer 19

the anaerobic transformation of fructose and glucose (sugars) into ethanol and carbon dioxide

Question 20

Glycolysis

Answer 20

A process in which glucose (sugar) is partially broken down by cells in enzyme reactions that do not need oxygen

Question 21

NADH

Answer 21

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) + hydrogen (H).” It occurs naturally in the body and plays a role in generating energy

Question 22

Anaerobic

Answer 22

Occurring in the absence of oxygen or not requiring oxygen to live

Question 23

Cellular respiration

Answer 23

A chemical process in which oxygen is used to make energy from carbohydrates (sugars)

Question 24

Krebs cycle

Answer 24

a series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy through the oxidization of acetate derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into carbon dioxide

Question 25

Pyruvic acid

Answer 25

a yellowish organic acid which occurs as an intermediate in many metabolic processes, especially glycolysis

Question 26

Citric acid

Answer 26

a colorless weak organic acid