SCIENCE TERM 1 WEEK 3 - Photosynthesis, Respiration, and Fermentation

Vocabulary flashcards covering the mechanisms of photosynthesis, plant pigments, stages of light reactions, and the biochemical principles of fermentation.

Photosynthesis

A process by which phototrophs convert light energy into chemical energy, which is later used to fuel cellular activities and stored in the form of sugars.

Phototrophs

Organisms that utilize photosynthesis to synthesize nutrients by using carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight.

Chloroplasts

The specific organelles where the process of photosynthesis exclusively takes place.

Photosynthetic pigments

Molecules such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotene, and xanthophyll that enable the absorption of light energy.

Oxygen ($O_2$)

The waste product or by-product of photosynthesis that is liberated out into the atmosphere through the leaves.

Stomata

The openings through which carbon dioxide enters the plant during the process of photosynthesis.

Xylem vessels

The structures that carry water absorbed by the root hairs from the soil to the leaves.

Glucose ($C_6H_{12}O_6$)

A source of food for plants that provides energy for growth and development, produced using hydrogen from water and carbon dioxide.

Pigments

Molecules that impart color and absorb light at specific wavelengths while reflecting unabsorbed light.

Chlorophyll-a

The main pigment primarily used to capture light energy during photosynthesis.

Thylakoids

The parts of the chloroplasts where chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids are present.

Light-dependent reaction

The first stage of photosynthesis, also referred to as the light reaction.

Light independent reaction

The second stage of photosynthesis, also known as the dark reaction.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that extracts energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen through the action of enzymes.

Zymology

The science of fermentation.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

The energy molecule produced in microorganisms by the anaerobic degradation of organic nutrients.

Anaerobic

A metabolic condition or process that takes place only in the absence of oxygen.

Lactic acid

An acid found in sour foods such as pickled cucumbers, kombucha, kimchi, and yogurt produced through fermentation preservation.

Final electron acceptor

In the most scientific definition of fermentation, an organic molecule serves this role in a process that does not require oxygen or an electron transport system.