Organic Compounds, Water Properties, and Animal Nutrition

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering organic macromolecules, water polarity and properties, biochemical indicators, synthesis and lysis reactions, and nutritional adaptations in ecosystems.

Organic Compound

Any chemical compound that contains carbon and hydrogen.

Monosaccharide

A single sugar, such as glucose or fructose, that functions as a fundamental building block of carbohydrates.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate composed of two sugars bonded together, such as maltose or sucrose.

Polysaccharide

A carbohydrate formed from many sugars joined in long chains, such as starch and cellulose.

Glycogen

The storage molecule in which animals store extra carbohydrate energy within the liver.

Lugol's Solution

An iodine-based indicator for starch that changes color from amber to black/blue.

Benedict's Solution

An indicator for glucose that shifts from pale blue to green, yellow, orange, or red when heated.

Biuret Solution

A chemical indicator used to test for the presence of proteins, changing from pale blue/purple to pink.

Polar Molecule

A molecule with a partial positive charge and a partial negative charge, such as water where the positive $\text{H}$ end attracts the negative $\text{O}$ end of another water molecule.

Cohesion

The intermolecular attraction between water molecules that holds water droplets together and produces surface tension.

Adhesion

The attraction of one substance to another, which allows water to dissolve polar substances and drives capillary action.

Capillary Action

The movement of water rising through narrow spaces due to attractive forces with interacting materials, such as glass or plant roots.

Enzyme

A specialized protein that controls the rate of chemical reactions and regulates cellular processes in living organisms.

Saturated Lipid

A lipid containing only single bonds between $\text{C}$ and $\text{H}$ atoms.

Unsaturated Lipid

A lipid containing at least one double bond between $\text{C}$ and $\text{H}$ atoms.

Dehydration Synthesis

A chemical reaction that forms larger, more complex molecules (such as starches) by removing water, acting as the opposite of hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that adds water to break bonds and make substances less complex, derived from 'hydro' (water) and 'lysis' (to break).

Herbivore

An organism that feeds exclusively on plants, characterized by large flat teeth and a longer digestive system (such as a cow having four stomachs) to digest fibrous plant matter.

Carnivore

An organism that consumes other animals, possessing large sharp teeth and the shortest digestive system (such as a lion) because meat digests more easily than plant matter.

Group Hunting

A predatory strategy that provides extra energy and protection to capture larger prey, culls sick, weak, or newborn prey animals, and can force competing predator groups to migrate.