Metabolism and Energy Transformations

These flashcards cover the essential vocabulary and concepts of metabolism, energy transformations, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis as outlined in the lecture notes.

Metabolism

Encompasses all biochemical reactions in an organism, including catabolic and anabolic pathways.

Catabolism

The process of breaking down larger molecules into smaller ones, releasing energy.

Anabolism

The process of building up larger molecules from smaller ones, requiring energy input.

First Law of Thermodynamics

States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Indicates that energy transformations increase entropy, emphasizing inefficiency in biological systems.

ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

The primary energy currency of the cell that facilitates energy transfer through hydrolysis.

Potential Energy

Stored energy, exemplified by glucose.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in motion, such as water flowing over a waterfall.

Activation Energy

The energy required to initiate a reaction, crucial for enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Entropy

A measure of disorder; systems tend to move towards higher entropy.

Enzyme Inhibition

A process where enzyme activity is affected, potentially being competitive or allosteric.

Cellular Respiration

A catabolic process that converts glucose into ATP, primarily occurring in mitochondria.

Glycolysis

The first step in cellular respiration that breaks down glucose into pyruvate, yielding a net gain of 2 ATP.

Krebs Cycle

The stage of cellular respiration that further oxidizes acetyl CoA, producing electron carriers for the electron transport chain.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The final stage of cellular respiration where the majority of ATP is generated using the electron transport chain.

NADH and FADH₂

The primary electron carriers in cellular respiration, transporting electrons to the electron transport chain.

Photosynthesis

The process by which autotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.

Calvin Cycle

The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis that fix carbon dioxide into glucose using ATP and NADPH.

RuBisCO

A key enzyme in photosynthesis that plays a critical role in carbon fixation during the Calvin Cycle.

Interplay between Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Illustrates the cyclical relationship where products of photosynthesis are the reactants for cellular respiration.