Bio U5- Matter and Energy Vocab

ATP

compound used by cells to store and release energy

Autotroph

organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer

Heterotroph

organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called a consumer

Photosynthesis

process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

Chlorophyll

principal pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms

Thylakoid

saclike photosynthetic membranes found in chloroplasts

Grana

stacks of thylakoids embedded in the storm of a chloroplast

Stroma

fluid portion of the chloroplast; outside of the thylakoids

Light Independent Reactions

set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light; energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high energy compounds such as sugar; also called the Calvin cycle

Light Dependent Reactions

set of reactions in photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and NADPH

NADP+

(nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) carrier molecule that transfers high energy electrons from chlorophyll to other molecules

NAD+

electron carrier involved in glycolysis

ATP Synthase

cluster of proteins that span the thylakoid membrane and allow hydrogen ions (H+) to pass through it

Electron Transport Chain (ETC)

series of electron carrier proteins that shuttle high energy electrons during ATP generating reactions

Calvin Cycle

the light independent reactions of photosynthesis in which energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high energy compounds such as sugar

Cellular Respiration

process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

Glycolysis

first set of reactions in cellular respiration during which a molecule of glucose is broken into 2 molecules of pyruvic acid

Aerobic

process that requires oxygen

Anaerobic

process that does not require oxygen

Fermentation

process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen

Atom

the basic unit of matter

Nucleus

in cells, structure that contains the cell's genetic material in the form of DNA

Electron

negatively charged particle; located in the space surrounding the nucleus

Element

pure substance that consists entirely of one type of atom

Isotope

one of several forms of a single element, which contains the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Compound

substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions

Ion

atom that has a positive or negative charge

Molecule

smallest unit of most compounds that displays all the properties of that compound

Biogeochemical Cycle

process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

Denitrification

process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

Nitrogen Fixation

process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use