Lipid Catabolism and Photosynthesis Overview

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to lipid catabolism and photosynthesis, helpful for studying metabolic processes in biological systems.

Lipid Catabolism

The metabolic process of breaking down lipids into glycerol and fatty acids.

Lipase

An enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of fats into glycerol and free fatty acids.

Acetyl-CoA

A key molecule in metabolism that enters the Krebs cycle after being derived from fatty acids and glycerol.

Krebs Cycle

A series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Calvin-Benson Cycle

The light-independent reactions in photosynthesis where CO2 is fixed to produce sugars.

Photophosphorylation

The process of generating ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate using the energy of sunlight.

Cyclic Photophosphorylation

A process that generates ATP through the electron transport chain without producing NADPH.

Photoautotrophs

Organisms that use light as their energy source and CO2 as their carbon source.

Chemoautotrophs

Organisms that obtain energy from inorganic chemicals and use CO2 as a carbon source.

Chemoheterotrophs

Organisms that obtain energy and carbon from organic compounds.

Anoxygenic Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis that does not produce oxygen, utilizing compounds such as hydrogen sulfide instead of water.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

A metabolic pathway that uses energy released by the oxidation of nutrients to produce ATP.