Unit 1 Topic 1: Cells as the basis of life Flashcards
What are the seven basic cell requirements?
Nutrition
Metabolism
Growth
Response to stimuli
Excretion
Homeostasis
Reproduction
What are organelles?
Specialized subunits within a cell that has a specific function
What is the cell membrane?
The insoluble boundary of all living cells that maintains the contents of the cell and regulates movement of nutrients in and out of the cell
What is a prokaryotic cell?
A simple type of cell that lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Examples include algae and bacteria
What is a eukaryotic cell?
A complex type of cell with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Examples include humans and animals
What is the cytoplasm?
All the fluid, dissolved materials and organelles between the cell and nuclear membrane
What is cholesterol?
A type of lipid that maintains membrane fluidity
What is a channel protein?
A protein that forms channels within membranes to allow transport across the cell membrane
What is a protein channel?
A channel formed within the cell membrane for the movement of specific substances
What is passive transport?
Transport that does not require energy. Examples include osmosis and diffusion
What is active transport?
Transport that requires energy. Examples include phagocytosis and exocytosis
What is diffusion?
The movement of molecules from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration
What does selectively/differentially permeable mean?
A quality of the cell membrane that only allows certain substances in and out of the cell
What is the external environment?
The environment surrounding the cell
What does bilayer mean?
A double layer
What is the internal environment?
All material contained within the cell
What is hydrophilic?
Dissolves in water
What are phospholipids?
A type of lipid in which the phosphate head is hydrophilic and the two fat tails are hydrophobic
What is hydrophobic?
Tending to avoid association with water
What is osmosis?
The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of low solute to a region of high solute
What is photosynthesis
The process of turning water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen with the goal of producing food for the plant
What is cellular respiration?
The process of turning glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water with the goal of producing energy for the cell
What is a carbohydrate?
A group of compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Important as structural compartments and energy sources
What is starch?
An important energy-storing polysaccharide in plants
What is glycogen?
An important glucose-storing polysaccharide in animals
What is deoxyribonucleic acid?
An information molecule that is the universal basis of an organism’s material; it contains information contained in a chemical code about the production of proteins by a cell
What is ribonucleic acid?
The single-stranded nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis
What is a ribosome?
A small structure in cells that builds amino acids into complex proteins; this organelle is not bound by a membrane
What is cytosol?
The part of the cytoplasm containing highly organised fluid material with dissolved substances; excluding the organelles
What is a lysosome?
A cytoplasmic organelle containing digestive enzymes
What is cellular metabolism?
All of the chemical processes occurring in a living cell
What is the enzyme-substrate complex?
The substance formed when an enzyme and substrate combine
What is an equilibrium reaction?
A chemical reaction in which the forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates
What is a cofactor?
A small inorganic substance that is required in addition to an enzyme to catalyse a reaction
What is light-dependent stage?
The first stage of photosynthesis, when light energy is absorbed by the chlorophyll; water molecules split to form oxygen, hydrogen and ATP
What is glycolysis?
An energy-yielding process occurring in the cell cytosol in which glucose is partially broken down to pyruvate in enzyme reactions that do not require oxygen; this first stage of cellular respiration produces two ATP molecules
What is the Krebs cycle?
A biochemical pathway that requires oxygen and takes place in the mitochondria as part of cellular respiration; the second stage of aerobic cellular respiration
What is lactic acid fementation?
A form of anaerobic respiration that occurs in animal cells and some anaerobic bacteria; glucose is converted to lactic acid
What is differentiation?
The process by which unspecialised cells develop special characteristics to suit particular functions
What are tissues?
A group of specialised cells working together to perform a specific function
What is muscle tissue?
A type of tissue made up of thin, very long thread-like cells called muscle fibres that contract when stimulated
What is nervous tissue?
A type of tissue containing cells that are highly specialised for transmission of nerve impulses