Module 5 Intro

Module 5—Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Module Glossary

 

acetyl CoA: an oxidized form of glucose

 

active transport: a process that requires energy from ATP to move substances against the concentration gradient

 

ATP (adensosine triphosphate): a high-energy phosphate molecule that provides and stores the energy required for cellular functions

 

ATP synthase: an enzyme that bonds free phosphates to ADP to form ATP

 

biofuel: ethanol produced during the fermentation of biomass

 

biogas: methane captured from animal waste that is used as fuel

 

Calvin-Benson cycle: the process in which photosynthetic organisms fix carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates

 

CAM: crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM photosynthesis); an elaborate carbon fixation pathway in some plants

 

carbon-dioxide fixation: a carbon atom in carbon dioxide is chemically bonded to a pre-existing 5-carbon compound in the stroma of the chloroplast

 

chemiosmosis: the process by which ATP is generated through the movement of protons down a concentration gradient

 

The protons move across the inner membranes to the mitochondrion and thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast and combine with ADP and phosphate molecules to form ATP.

 

diffusion: a process in which molecules move from areas of high concentration to low concentration

 

endocytosis: a process in which cell membranes engulf a substance and pinch off inside the cell

 

exocytosis: a process in which a vacuole containing substances from inside a cell (cytoplasm) fuses with the cell wall and the contents are released outside of the cell

 

facilitated diffusion: a process in which larger molecules need the help of proteins in cell walls to move from areas of high concentration to low concentration

 

FADH2: an important coenzyme produced during Krebs cycle

 

It acts as an electron donor to the electron transport system involved in the production of ATP.

 

glucose: a saccharide or sugar; can be linked to many other saccharides to form different types of sugars or carbohydrates

 

glycolysis: a metabolic pathway in which one glucose molecule is broken down to form two, 3-carbon molecules and a small amount of ATP

 

Glycolysis is the first step in both anaerobic and aerobic respiration.

 

Krebs cycle: a metabolic pathway consisting of a series of reactions that break down the end products of glycolysis, producing carbon dioxide and generating a large amount of ATP; also know as the citric acid cycle; named after the 1953 Nobel Prize winning scientist who made the discovery

 

metabolism: all of the chemical reactions that occur within a cell to support and sustain its life functions

 

This can be the synthesis of molecules or the breaking down of molecules for energy.

 

NADH: a high-energy electron carrier

 

It acts as an electron donor to the electron transport system involved in the production of ATP.

 

NADP+: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate in its oxidized state

 

NADPH: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate in its reduced state; used in light-independent reactions to form glucose

 

osmosis: the diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane

 

oxidation: a loss of electrons

 

passive transport: no energy required

 

phagocytosis: a process in which the cell wall engulfs a large particle, such as bacteria or a blood cell, and pinches off inside of the cell

 

phosphoglyceraldehyde (PGAL): a high-energy compound used to make glucose

 

phosphorylation: the process of adding a phosphate to a molecule; occurs in cellular respiration and photosynthesis

 

photosystem: a cluster of light-absorbing pigment molecules in the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts

 

pinocytosis: a process in whichthe cell wall engulfs liquids and their solutes and pinches off inside the cell

 

proton: a hydrogen ion containing one electron

 

pyruvate: three carbon molecules produced by glycolysis

 

redox reaction: a reaction involving the transfer of electrons

 

reduction: a gain of electrons

 

reference flow: a measure of how far a substance is transported in chromatography

 

ribulose biphosphate (RuBP): a 5-carbon molecule in the stroma that initially bonds to carbon dioxide

 

thylakoid membrane: flattened stacks within the stroma that contain chlorophyll

 

VO2 max: used to measure how well an athlete is able to use oxygen during an activity: units are mL/kg/min

Biology 20 © 2008 Alberta Education