AP Bio unit 3

What is photosynthesis?

The process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose.

What are the light-dependent reactions in photosynthesis?

Reactions that occur in the thylakoid membranes and convert light energy to chemical energy (ATP and NADPH).

What is the Calvin Cycle?

A set of light-independent reactions that take place in the stroma, using ATP and NADPH to fix CO2 into glucose.

What is cellular respiration?

The process by which living organisms convert glucose and oxygen into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water.

What is glycolysis?

The breakdown of glucose to pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP.

What occurs in the Krebs Cycle?

Uses acetyl-CoA to produce electron carriers and CO2.

What is the Electron Transport Chain (ETC)?

Uses electrons from NADH and FADH2 to create a proton gradient, generating ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.

What is enzyme activity?

Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions.

What is enzyme regulation?

Includes competitive and non-competitive inhibition, and allosteric regulation.

What is cell communication?

The process by which cells in a multicellular organism communicate with each other.

What are signal transduction pathways?

A series of molecular events triggered by a signal molecule (ligand) binding to a receptor, leading to a cellular response.

What is ATP?

The primary energy carrier in cells.

What is a chloroplast?

The organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs.

What are mitochondria?

The organelle in eukaryotic cells where cellular respiration takes place.

What are NADH and NADPH?

Electron carriers involved in cellular respiration and photosynthesis respectively.

What is signal transduction?

The process by which a cell responds to signals in its environment, involving multiple steps and molecular interactions.