Cellular_Respiration-chapter_6

Photosynthesis

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

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells break down organic molecules in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and ATP.

Aerobic

Processes that require oxygen.

Anaerobic

Processes that occur in the absence of oxygen.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The main energy currency of the cell, produced during cellular respiration.

Glycolysis

The metabolic pathway that breaks down glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, producing ATP and NADH.

Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle)

A series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The final stage of cellular respiration, where ATP is produced using energy from electrons transported through a series of proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)

A coenzyme that accepts electrons and is reduced to NADH during redox reactions.

Redox Reaction

Chemical reactions that involve the transfer of electrons between two substances, consisting of oxidation (loss of electrons) and reduction (gain of electrons).

Electron Transport Chain

A series of proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane that transfer electrons and generate ATP through chemiosmosis.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases or alcohol in the absence of oxygen.

Alcoholic Fermentation

A process by which yeast converts pyruvate into ethanol and carbon dioxide.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

A process that converts pyruvate into lactic acid when oxygen is scarce, such as in muscle cells during intense exercise.

Obligate Anaerobes

Organisms that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.

Facultative Anaerobes

Organisms that can use oxygen if available but can also generate energy through fermentation.

Acetyl-CoA

A molecule that enters the Krebs cycle, formed from the breakdown of pyruvate.

Chemiosmosis

The movement of ions across a selectively permeable membrane down their electrochemical gradient, essential for ATP synthesis.

Substrate-Level Phosphorylation

The direct formation of ATP from ADP and a phosphorylated intermediate in a metabolic pathway.

Cytosol

The fluid part of the cytoplasm where glycolysis occurs.

Mitochondria

The organelles where aerobic respiration and energy production occur.

Heat Energy

The energy that is lost as a by-product during cellular respiration processes.