Unit u1c Biology Cell Processes

Active Transport

Movement of substances across the cell membrane using energy (ATP)

Aerobic respiration

Cellular respiration that uses oxygen to make ATP

Anaerobic respiration

Cellular respiration that does not use oxygen

ATP

The main energy-carrying molecule used by cells

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food

Cell respiration

The process cells use to break down food and make ATP

Chlorophyll

The green pigment in plants that absorbs light energy

Chloroplast

The organelle where photosynthesis happens

Concentration gradient

The difference in the concentration of a substance between two areas

Diffusion

The movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration

Equilibrium

A state where substances are evenly distributed and there is no net movement

Feedback loop

A process where the result affects the process itself

Fermentation

A process that makes some ATP without oxygen

Heterotroph

An organism that gets food by consuming other organisms

Homeostasis

Maintaining stable conditions inside a cell or organism

Lactic acid

A substance produced during certain types of anaerobic respiration

Mitochondria

Organelles where most cellular respiration and ATP production occur

Osmosis

The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane

Passive transport

Movement of substances across a cell membrane without using energy

Photosynthesis

The process plants use to make food from light energy, water, and carbon dioxide

Plasma Membrane

The thin membrane that controls what enters and leaves a cell

Pump

A membrane protein that uses energy to move substances across the cell membrane

Semipermeable

Allows some substances to pass through but blocks others

Solute

A substance that is dissolved in a solution

Solvent

The substance that dissolves the solute