Energy Flow and Cellular Energy Processes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering ecological interactions, food chains, energy flow, and the biochemical structures and equations of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Abiotic Factor

Any physical, non-living factor in the environment that affects organisms, such as sunlight and heat.

Biotic Factor

Any living thing in the environment with which an organism might interact, such as a flower, rat, or strawberry.

Producer

An autotrophic organism that makes its own food.

Primary Consumer

An herbivore that obtains energy by eating producers.

Secondary Consumer

A carnivore that feeds on primary consumers.

Tertiary Consumer

A secondary carnivore that feeds on secondary consumers within an energy pyramid.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down and feeds on actively decomposing matter.

Detritivore

An organism that feeds on material that is already fully decomposed, such as fallen leaves.

Invasive Species

A non-native species introduced to an ecosystem that can disrupt native populations, exemplified by kudzu.

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship between two species in which both species benefit.

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Parasitism

A relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and causes it harm.

$10\%$ Rule

An ecological principle stating that approximately $10.1\%$ of energy is passed on to the next trophic level.

Diagram of Energy Processes

A visual representation showing the interdependent, cyclic flow of matter and energy between the chloroplast during photosynthesis and the mitochondrion during cellular respiration.

Chloroplast

The cell organelle found only in plants where photosynthesis occurs, utilizing light, $H_2O$, and $CO_2$ to synthesize glucose and oxygen.

Mitochondria

The cell organelle found in both plant and animal cells where cellular respiration takes place to generate ATP.

Thylakoid

A membrane-bound compartment inside chloroplasts, stacked into grana, where the light reactions of photosynthesis occur.

Stroma

The fluid-filled space inside the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoids where the Calvin cycle takes place.

Calvin Cycle

The stage of photosynthesis occurring within the chloroplast stroma that takes in $CO_2$ and uses chemical energy to produce glucose.

Cristae

The inner folded membranes of a mitochondrion that provide surface area for cellular respiration and the electron transport chain (ETC).

Mitochondrial Matrix

The innermost compartment of the mitochondrion enclosed by the inner membrane where the Krebs cycle occurs.

Krebs Cycle

A series of chemical reactions occurring in the mitochondrial matrix during cellular respiration that releases $CO_2$ and energy.

Chemical Equation for Photosynthesis

$$6CO_2 + 6H_2O \xrightarrow{\text{light}} 6O_2 + C_6H_{12}O_6$$

Chemical Equation for Cellular Respiration

$$6O_2 + C_6H_{12}O_6 \rightarrow 6CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{ATP}$$

Recycled Substances of Respiration and Photosynthesis

The four chemical substances cycled continuously between photosynthesis and cellular respiration: $CO_2$, water ($H_2O$), $O_2$, and glucose.

Sunlight Energy

The essential external input of photosynthesis that cannot be recycled within biological systems and must be constantly supplied.

Cyclic Interdependence

The mutual relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration wherein the outputs of one process serve as the direct inputs for the other.

Autotroph

An organism, such as a plant, that produces its own food (glucose) naturally through photosynthesis, allowing it to survive independently of consuming other organisms.