Untitled Flashcard Set

Passive Transport

Movement of molecules from high to low concentration without energy; includes simple and facilitated diffusion.

Active Transport

Requires ATP to move molecules against their concentration gradient (from low to high).

Bulk Transport

Involves endocytosis (bringing matter in via vesicles) and exocytosis (exporting waste or proteins).

Tonicity

Describes the relative concentration of solutes in solutions and the impact on cell volume.

Hypertonic

Higher solute concentration outside the cell; results in water leaving the cell.

Hypotonic

Lower solute concentration outside the cell; results in water entering the cell.

Isotonic

Equal concentration of solutes inside and outside the cell; no net water movement.

Enzyme Catalysis

Enzymes lower the activation energy required for a reaction.

Activation Energy

The minimum energy needed to initiate a chemical reaction.

Denaturation

A process where environmental changes break bonds in enzymes, altering their shape and function.

Exergonic Reactions

Reactions that release energy.

Endergonic Reactions

Reactions that require an input of energy.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The primary energy carrier in cells, providing energy for various cellular processes.

Nucleotides

Building blocks of DNA and RNA, consisting of a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous base.

Antiparallel

Describes the opposing orientation of the two strands of DNA (5' to 3' and 3' to 5').

Transcription

The process where RNA polymerase synthesizes mRNA from a DNA template.

mRNA Processing

Post-transcriptional modifications, including the removal of introns and addition of a 5' cap and poly-A tail.

Gene Expression

The process of turning genes on and off, resulting in specialization of cells.

Natural Selection

A mechanism of evolution involving variation, overproduction of offspring, and differential survival.

Fitness

Measured by reproductive success; the number of offspring that survive to reproduce.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A condition where a population is not evolving; requires no mutations, random mating, no natural selection, large population, and no gene flow.

p + q = 1

Equilibrium equation for allele frequencies in a population.

p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1

Equilibrium equation for genotype frequencies in a population.