Chapter 8 - An Introduction to Metabolism

Pool players

________ utilize the motion of the cue stick to push the cue ball, which in turn moves the other balls; water flowing through a dam powers turbines; and leg muscles contract to push bicycle pedals.

sugars

When needed, ________ can be transformed into amino acids, which are then linked together to form proteins.

chemical compounds

Many cells in multicellular creatures release ________ that are utilized in other areas of the organism.

plant

A(n) ________ functions as an energy transformer, not an energy generator, by converting sunlight to chemical energy.

Cellular respiration

________ is a key route of catabolism in which sugar glucose and other organic fuels are broken down to carbon dioxide and water in the presence of oxygen.

amino acids

Proteins, on the other hand, are broken down into ________ that can be converted to glucose during digestion.

chemical factory

As a(n) ________, the cell is unparalleled in its complexity, efficiency, and reactivity to small changes.

small chemical factory

The live- cell is a(n) ________, with thousands of processes taking place inside a minuscule area.

Catabolic

________ routes, or breakdown pathways, are the names given to these degradative processes.

energy transfer

As a result of the loss of useable energy as heat to the environment, each ________ or transformation causes the cosmos to become more chaotic.

Energy

________ is the ability to effect change.

kinetic energy 

The term refers ________ to the energy that can be associated with the relative motion of objects.

Thermal energy

The term ________ is the kinetic energy associated with the random movement of atoms or molecules.