Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
Compound used by cells to store and release energy
Photosynthesis
Process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water in to oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
Chlorophyll
Principle pigment of plants and other photosynthetic organisms
Thylakoid
Saclike photosynthetic membranes found in chloroplasts
Stroma
Fluid portion of the chloroplast outside of the thylakoids
Light-dependent reactions
Set of reactions in photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and NADPH
Light-independent reactions
Set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light; energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high-energy compound such as sugar; also known as the Calvin Cycle
Electron transport chain
Series of electron carrier proteins that shuttle high-energy electrons during ATP-generating reactions
Cellular respiration
Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen
Aerobic
Process that requires oxygen
Anaerobic
Process that does not require oxygen
Glycolysis
First set of reactions of cellular respiration in which a molecule of glucose is broken down into two molecules of pyruvic acid
Kreb's Cycle
Second stage of cellular respiration in which pyruvic acid is broken down into carbon dioxide in a series of energy-extracting reactions
Matrix
Innermost compartment of the mitochondrion
Fermentation
Process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen