Lipids and Animal Biology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions and concepts from lectures on lipids, nutrition, animal biology, and cellular processes.

Monomer

A single molecule that is used to build up a larger chemical chain.

Polymer

A large molecule made up of bound monomers.

Hydrocarbons

Molecules that only contain hydrogen ($H$) and carbon ($C$) atoms, which are hydrophobic.

Lipids

A class of macromolecules containing long chains of hydrocarbons that are completely or mostly hydrophobic.

Fatty Acids

The monomer of lipids, consisting of a long hydrocarbon chain with an acid at the end.

Triglycerides

A lipid polymer composed of three fatty acids linked by a backbone; the main component of body fat, vegetable fat, and skin oils.

Phospholipid

A lipid molecule featuring a hydrophilic head made of phosphate and a hydrophobic tail made of hydrocarbons.

Phospholipid Bilayer

A structure formed spontaneously in water where hydrophobic tails face each other and hydrophilic heads face outward, making up the cell membrane of all cells.

Saturated Fats

Fats with a hydrocarbon tail lacking any double bonds and containing the maximum number of hydrogen atoms; solid at room temperature and common in most non-fish animal fats.

Unsaturated Fats

Fatty acids containing one or more double bonds in the hydrocarbon tail; generally liquid at room temperature and found in plants and fish.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Essential unsaturated fatty acids with a double bond three carbons away from the end, which humans cannot synthesize and must obtain from sources like flax or oily fish.

Hydrogenation

A chemical process that forces the addition of hydrogen to break double bonds in unsaturated fats, producing solid and more shelf-stable fats from liquid oils.

Trans Fats

Fats featuring carbon groups arranged on opposite sides of a double bond (trans configuration); produced in high amounts by hydrogenation and strongly correlated with heart disease.

Lipolysis

The metabolic process of breaking down lipids for energy or heat ($\text{lipo} = \text{fat}; \text{lysis} = \text{split}$).

Ketosis

The breakdown of lipids into ketones in the absence of sugars, specifically used to supply brain energy.

Cholesterol

A sterol lipid composed of four fused hydrocarbon rings that acts as cellular antifreeze to maintain membrane fluidity and serves in cell signaling.

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

Known as 'good' cholesterol; a complex that removes fats and LDL from cells and blood vessels and transports them to the liver for breakdown.

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Known as 'bad' cholesterol; a complex that builds up plaques in arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke when elevated.

Animalia

A kingdom of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms characterized by muscle cells, an absence of cell walls, and development from a blastula.

Myocyte

A muscle cell whose contractions enable motility in animals, including flying, running, swimming, breathing, and heartbeats.

Blastula

A hollow sphere of cells formed during early embryonic development following fertilization of an egg by sperm.

Arthropods

Invertebrate animals characterized by an exoskeleton made of chitin, segmented bodies, and paired jointed appendages.

Pollination

The process of transferring pollen (male sex cells) to the stigma (female reproductive structure) of a plant, resulting in fertilization.

Allergen

An allergy-causing agent or substance.

Mollusks

Mostly marine animals featuring a soft body composed entirely of muscle and a mantle that secretes a shell.

Mantle

A specialized anatomical structure in mollusks that secretes their shell.

Vertebrates

Animals defined by the presence of a vertebral column and a cranium.

Birds

Vertebrate animals possessing a toothless beak, wings, and hard-shelled eggs.

Mammals

Vertebrate animals defined by having fur or hair and mammary glands that produce milk.

Livestock

Domesticated animals kept or raised for agricultural purposes.

Helminthiasis

Infections caused by parasitic worms, such as tapeworms, flukes, and nematodes.

Cellular Respiration

The metabolic process of turning sugars and other organic molecules into usable cellular energy ($\text{ATP}$).

Mitochondrion

The eukaryotic organelle that carries out cellular respiration using oxygen and pyruvate to produce a large amount of $\text{ATP}$, carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$), and water ($\text{H}_2\text{O}$).