Biology Review Notes

Flashcards covering vocabulary and concepts from biology lecture notes.

Lipids

Fatty substances that do not form true polymers and are hydrophobic.

Triacylglycerol

Formed by the joining of three fatty acids to a glycerol backbone in a dehydration reaction.

Saturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids with the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and no double bonds.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats made from unsaturated fatty acids that are liquid at room temperature.

Phospholipids

Molecules with two fatty acid tails that are hydrophobic and a hydrophilic head, crucial for cell membranes.

Proteins

Diverse molecules forming structures and functions within organisms, including enzymes and hormones.

Amino Acids

Organic molecules linked by peptide bonds to form polypeptides.

Eukarya

Domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms like protista, plants, animals, and fungi.

Cytoskeleton

A network of fibers that organizes cell structure and activities.

Lysosomes

Membranous sacs of enzymes that digest various biomolecules.

Isotopes

Atoms of an element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed by the sharing of a pair of valence electrons between two atoms.

Polar Covalent Bond

A bond in which one atom is more electronegative, leading to unequal sharing of electrons.

Cellular Respiration

Metabolic process converting glucose into ATP utilizing oxygen.

Photosynthesis

Process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

Organelle with two types: rough ER (with ribosomes) and smooth ER (without ribosomes).

Golgi Apparatus

Organelle that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and lipids for transport.

Prokaryote

Single-celled organism without a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles.

Nucleus

The membrane-bound structure that contains most of a eukaryotic cell's DNA.

Polymers

Long molecules made of many similar building blocks called monomers.

Dehydration Reaction

A reaction that occurs when two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

A reaction that disassembles polymers into monomers by adding water.

Chloroplasts

Organelles in plants that carry out photosynthesis.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain stable internal conditions.

Denaturation

A process in which a protein loses its native structure and becomes biologically inactive.