Unit 4 Vocabulary - Cell Energy

carbon fixation

The process by which carbon dioxide gas can be captured by organisms and converted into other organic compounds.

carbon cycle

the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back

autotroph

An organism that can do carbon fixation and make its own food (producer)

Heterotroph

organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes (consumer) - cannot perform carbon fixation

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms (detritivore)

Glucose

A simple sugar that is an important source of energy (C6H12O6)

ATP

(adenosine triphosphate) main energy source that cells use for most of their work

ADP

(Adenosine Diphosphate) The compound that remains when a phosphate group is removed from ATP, releasing energy

Chemosynthesis

Process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates

Photosynthesis

process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

Chloroplast

organelle found in cells of plants and some other organisms that captures the energy from sunlight and converts it into chemical energy (do photosynthesis)

Pigment

A protein that absorbs light, and thus produces color

Chlorophyll

A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria - absorbs sunlight

light intensity

The level of light received on a plant surface

Mitochondrion

Cell organelle that converts the chemical energy stored in food into compounds that are more convenient for the cell to use (does aerobic cellular respiration)

Cellular respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules

Aerobic

with oxygen

Anaerobic

without oxygen

Lactic acid fermentation

The process by which bacteria and animal cells break down carbohydrates and produce lactic acid when oxygen is not available

Alcoholic fermentation

The process by which yeast cells break down carbohydrates and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide when oxygen is not present