Regulation of Biochemical Pathways in Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Biochemical Pathways

Series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell that lead to the transformation of one or more substrates into products.

Enzymes

Biological catalysts that speed up biochemical reactions in living organisms.

Coenzymes

Organic non-protein molecules that aid enzymes in catalyzing reactions.

Rubisco

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, an enzyme involved in the first major step of carbon fixation in photosynthesis.

Light-dependent reactions

The part of photosynthesis that converts solar energy into chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, occurring in the thylakoid membranes.

Light-independent reactions (Calvin Cycle)

The part of photosynthesis that does not require light and uses ATP and NADPH to synthesize glucose from carbon dioxide, occurring in the stroma.

Glycolysis

The metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, yielding 2 ATP and 2 NADH.

Krebs Cycle

A series of enzymatic reactions in mitochondrial matrix where acetyl-CoA is oxidized to CO2, generating ATP, NADH, and FADH2.

Electron transport chain

A series of protein complexes and other molecules that transfer electrons through a membrane to form ATP, occurring in mitochondrial inner membrane.

Anaerobic fermentation

The process by which cells convert sugars into energy without oxygen, resulting in products like lactic acid in animals or ethanol in yeasts.

Factors affecting enzyme function

Conditions such as temperature, pH, concentration, and the presence of inhibitors that can influence enzyme activity.

C3 Plants

Plants that use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation in photosynthesis, primarily the Calvin cycle.

C4 Plants

Plants that have adapted to minimize photorespiration by fixing CO2 into a four-carbon compound.

CAM Plants

Plants that conserve water by opening their stomata at night and fixing CO2 into four-carbon compounds.