AP Bio | Unit 3 Review

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions in an organism.

Potential Energy

Stored energy that has the potential to do work.

Kinetic Energy

The energy of motion; energy that is actively being used.

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Energy transfer increases the entropy of a system.

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

Metabolic Pathways

Series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell.

Endergonic Reaction

A reaction that absorbs energy from its surroundings.

Exergonic Reaction

A reaction that releases energy to its surroundings.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The primary energy carrier in all living organisms.

Phosphorylation

The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule, often used in energy transfer.

Enzymes

Proteins that act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in a cell.

Activation Energy

The minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction.

Redox Reactions

Chemical reactions that involve the transfer of electrons between two species.

Glycolysis

The breakdown of glucose into pyruvate, producing a small amount of energy.

Fermentation

Anaerobic process that converts sugars to acids, gases, or alcohol.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment found in plants that is essential for photosynthesis.

Photoautotroph

Organisms that use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.

Calvin Cycle

Light-independent reactions in photosynthesis that convert CO2 into glucose.

C3 Plants

Plants that use the Calvin Cycle for the first step of carbon fixation.

C4 Plants

Plants that use an alternative pathway for carbon fixation, allowing for greater efficiency in hot climates.

CAM Plants

Plants that fix carbon at night to reduce water loss.

Stomata

Small openings on the surfaces of leaves that allow gas exchange.

ATP Synthase

An enzyme that creates ATP using a proton gradient.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The production of ATP using the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.

Chemiosmosis

The movement of ions across a selectively permeable membrane, driving ATP synthesis.