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AP Biology Vocabulary (Metabolism) Flashcards

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6315990290Absorption SpectrumA spectrum of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through a substance, showing dark lines or bands due to absorption of specific wavelengths.0
6315990291Accessory PigmentA pigment that absorbs light energy and transfers it to chlorophyll in photosynthesis.1
6315995299Acetyl coAThe entry compound for the citric acid cycle in cellular respiration, formed from a fragment of pyruvate attached to a coenzyme.2
6316000517Action Spectrumthe rate of a physiological activity plotted against wavelength of light.3
6316000518Activation Energythe rate of a physiological activity plotted against wavelength of light.4
6316005221Active Sitethe region of an enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.5
6316017510Allosteric RegulationWhen a protein's function at one site is affected by the binding of a regulatory molecule to a separate site.6
6316005222Anabolismthe synthesis of complex molecules in living organisms from simpler ones together with the storage of energy; constructive metabolism. EX: When your body builds muscle tissue, creates new cells, or mineralizes bone.7
6316012616Anaerobic MetabolismThe creation of energy through the combustion of carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. EX: carbohydrates, amino acids and fats8
6316017511ATPAdenosine Triphosphate. EX: Movement; our body movements require action by our muscles. Muscle contraction requires ATP.9
6316020539AutotrophAn organism that makes its own food. EX: plants, algae and some types of bacteria.10
6316020540Calvin CycleCarbon fixation process in photosynthesis. Forms sugar and other organic compounds.11
6316024095CatabolismBiological processes which primarily break down large storage and other chemicals, often releasing energy in the process.12
6316024096CatalystSomething that brings about a change in something else. EX: Chemical Catalyst; Hydrogen peroxide will decompose into water and oxygen gas.13
6316026736Cellular RespirationA complex set of chemical reactions involving an energy transformation where potential chemical energy in the bonds of "food" molecules is released and partially captured in the bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules.14
6316029466ChemiosmosisA process for synthesizing ATP using the energy of an electrochemical gradient and the ATP synthase enzyme.15
6316032486ChemoautotrophOrganism that makes organic carbon molecules from carbon dioxide using energy from chemical reactions.16
6316032487ChlorophyllGreen pigment in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out photosynthesis.17
6316035408ChloroplastA plastid containing chlorophyll, the site of photosynthesis.18
6316037507Citric Acid CycleCompletes the breakdown of glucose by oxidizing a derivative of pyruvate to carbon dioxide.19
6316037508CoenzymeAn organic molecule serving as a cofactor. Most vitamins function as coenzymes in important metabolic reactions.20
6316040108CofactorNon-protein helpers that may be bound tightly to the enzyme as a permanent resident, or may bind loosely and reversibly along with the substrate.21
6316042725CompartmentalizationMembrane-bound organelles allow different parts of the cell to perform different functions at the same time.22
6316042726ConsumerAn organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms.23
6316047232Cyclic Electron FlowA route of electron flow during the light reactions of photosynthesis that involves only photosystem I and that produces ATP but not NADPH or oxygen.24
6316050072DenaturationIn proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native conformation, thereby becoming biologically inactive. In DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix.25
6316052564Electron Transport ChainA sequence of electron carrier molecules (membrane proteins) that shuttle electrons during the redox reactions that release energy used to make ATP.26
6316052565EntrophyMeasure of the disorder or randomness of the particles that make of a system (measurement of movement of particles in a spontaneous reaction).27
6316056141Endergonic ReactionA non-spontaneous chemical reaction in which free energy is absorbed from the surroundings.28
6316056142EnzymeA protein that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed by the reaction; an organic catalyst.29
6316058890Exergonic ReactionA spontaneous chemical reaction in which there is a net release of free energy.30
6316063327Feedback InhibitionA method of metabolic control in which the end product of a metabolic pathway acts as an inhibitor of an enzyme within that pathway.31
6316063328FermentationProcess by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen.32
6316066850GlycolysisA metabolic process that breaks down carbohydrates and sugars through a series of reactions to either pyruvic acid or lactic acid and release energy for the body in the form of ATP.33
6316066851HeterotrophA heterotroph is an organism that cannot fix carbon from inorganic sources but uses organic carbon for growth.34
6316069719Induced Fit ModelProposed by Daniel Koshland in 1958, attempts to explain how this is accomplished. His theory asserts that when the active site on the enzymes makes contact with the proper substrate, the enzyme molds itself to the shape of the molecule.35
6316076669Light Dependent ReactionsSet of reactions in photosynthesis that use energy from light to produce ATP and NADPH.36
6316076670Light Independent Reactions2nd stage of photosynthesis, occurs in stroma.37
6316080041Metabolic PathwayA series of chemical reactions that either builds a complex molecule (anabolic pathway) or breaks down a complex molecule into simpler compounds (catabolic pathway).38
6316082155MitochondrionA membrane‐bound organelle found in most eukaryotic cells; site of cellular respiration.39
6316082156NADThe lowest point of something.40
6316084357NADPAn abbreviation of nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide-phosphate, also called TPN; an organic compound that serves as an oxidation-reduction molecule.41
6316084375Negative FeedbackA primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable that is being monitored triggers a response that counteracts the initial fluctuation.42
6316088305Non-Cyclic Electron FlowA route of electron flow during the light reactions of photosynthesis that involves both photosystems and produces ATP, NADPH, and oxygen. The net electron flow is from water to NADP+.43
6316091796Oxidative PhosphorylationPart of the electron transport chain. A process occurring in the mitochondria that results in the formation of ATP from the flow of electrons across the inner membrane to bind with oxygen.44
6316094006PhotolysisIn the thylakoid membranes of a chloroplast during light-dependant reactions, two molecules of water are split to form oxygen, hydrogen ions, and electrons.45
6316094007PhotosynthesisA process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light and energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches.46
6316096165Positive FeedbackA form of regulation in which an end product of a process speeds up that process; in physiology, a control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers a response that reinforces or amplifies the change.47
6316099110Ribulose BiphosphateAn organic substance that is involved in photosynthesis. It is a colourless anion, a double phosphate ester of the ketopentose called ribulose.48
6316103634Substrate- level phosphorylationThe formation of ATP by directly transferring a phosphate group to ADP from an intermediate substrate in catabolism.49
6316105194Thylakoid MembraneThey are the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Thylakoids consist of a thylakoid membrane surrounding a thylakoid lumen.50

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