Cell Energy - Photosynthesis & Cell Respiration LS1-5 & 7

Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)

A molecule that stores and releases small amounts of energy; it becomes ATP when another phosphate is added.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

The main energy molecule used by cells to power activities.

Aerobic cellular respiration

The process of making energy from food using oxygen.

Alcohol (ethanol)

A type of alcohol made during some fermentation processes.

Alcohol fermentation

A process where sugars are turned into alcohol and carbon dioxide without oxygen.

Anaerobic cellular respiration

Making energy without oxygen.

ATP synthase

An enzyme that makes ATP from ADP and phosphate using energy from hydrogen ions.

Bacteria

Microscopic single-celled organisms.

Calvin cycle

The set of reactions in photosynthesis that use ATP and NADPH to make sugars from carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

A gas taken in by plants for photosynthesis and released by organisms during respiration.

Carbon fixation

The process of turning carbon dioxide into organic molecules like glucose during photosynthesis.

Cell respiration (equation)

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy (ATP)

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells break down glucose and oxygen to make ATP energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Chemical reaction

A process where substances are changed into new substances.

Chlorophyll

A green pigment in plants that absorbs sunlight for photosynthesis.

Chloroplast

A cell part in plants where photosynthesis happens.

Cytosol

The liquid part inside cells where many reactions happen.

Electron transport chain

The final step in cellular respiration that makes most of the ATP using oxygen.

Energy

The ability to do work or cause change.

Energy flow

The movement of energy through living things, such as from sunlight to glucose to ATP.

Fermentation

A way cells make energy without oxygen, producing alcohol or lactic acid.

Glucose

A simple sugar that is the main energy source for cells.

Glycolysis

The first step of cellular respiration that breaks glucose into smaller parts.

Heterotroph

An organism that gets its food by eating other organisms.

Input

The materials or substances that enter a reaction, like water and carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.

Krebs cycle

A series of reactions that help release energy from food inside mitochondria.

Lactic acid

A substance made when oxygen is low, such as in tired muscles.

Lactic acid fermentation

A process that makes energy and lactic acid when oxygen isn’t available.

Light-dependent reaction

The steps of photosynthesis that use sunlight to make ATP and NADPH.

Light-independent reaction

The steps of photosynthesis (the Calvin cycle) that make glucose using ATP, NADPH, and CO2, without direct light.

Matter cycle

The movement and reuse of matter, such as carbon and oxygen, between living and nonliving parts of the environment.

Mitochondria

Parts of cells where most energy (ATP) is made.

Muscle cell

A cell that helps the body move by contracting.

NAD+

A molecule that helps carry electrons during cellular respiration.

NADH

The form of NAD+ that carries high-energy electrons.

NADP+

A molecule that carries electrons during photosynthesis; it becomes NADPH when it gains energy.

NADPH

A molecule that carries high-energy electrons from the light-dependent reactions to the Calvin cycle.

Organic molecules

Molecules made by living things, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Output

The products made by a reaction, such as glucose and oxygen in photosynthesis.

Oxygen (O2)

A gas made during photosynthesis and used by cells during respiration.

Phosphorous (P)

A chemical element important for making ATP and DNA.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make glucose and oxygen.

Photosynthesis equation

Sunlight + 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Product

A substance made at the end of a chemical reaction.

Pyruvate (pyruvic acid)

A molecule made from glucose during glycolysis; used in the next steps of respiration.

Reactant

A starting material in a chemical reaction.

Simple sugar

A small carbohydrate molecule like glucose that provides quick energy.

Solar energy

Energy from sunlight used by plants to make food.

Stroma

The fluid inside chloroplasts where the Calvin cycle takes place.

Thylakoid

A disc-shaped structure inside a chloroplast where light energy is captured.

Thylakoid membrane

The surface of the thylakoid where light-dependent reactions happen.

Thylakoid space

The inside of the thylakoid that fills with hydrogen ions during photosynthesis.

Water (H2O)

A molecule used in photosynthesis and produced during cellular respiration.

Yeast

A type of fungus that makes energy through fermentation, producing alcohol or carbon dioxide.