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Metabolism Vocabulary

Frankie Nevin

 Autotroph - an organism that makes its own food

Heterotroph - an organism that has to find its own (can not make its own)

Phototroph - an organism that obtains energy from sunlight

Photosynthesis - a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy, normally

from the sun, into chemical energy that can be used to fuel the organisms' activities

Chemotroph - organism that obtain energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their 

environments. These molecules can be organic or inorganic

Chemosynthesis - the biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules and nutrients into

organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules or methane as a source of energy,

rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis

Light Reactions - energy in the form of light is absorbed and converted to chemical energy in the

form of ATP

Calvin/Benson Cycle/Dark Reactions - The series of reactions in photosynthesis that do not

require light to proceed, and ultimately produce organic molecules from carbon dioxide.

Chloroplast - contains chlorophyll and in which photosynthesis takes place

Thylakoids - flattened sacs inside a chloroplast, in which the light reactions of photosynthesis

take place, and arranged in stacks or grana

Grana - stacks of thylakoids

Stroma - the supportive tissue of an epithelial organ, tumor, gonad, etc., consisting of connective

tissues and blood vessels

Carbon Fixation - the conversion of inorganic carbon to organic compounds by living organisms

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 Accessory Pigments - a photosynthetic pigment is a pigment that is present in chloroplasts and

captures the light energy necessary for photosynthesis

 Aerobic Cellular Respiration - process of generating energy by the full oxidation of nutrients

through Krebs cycle

BTB - liquid used for measuring the presence of carbonic acid in a liquid

Photon - an elementary particle, the quantum of light and all other forms of electromagnetic

radiation, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force

Electron Transport Chain - A group of compounds that pass electron from one to another via

redox reactions coupled with the transfer of proton across a membrane to create a proton

gradient that drives ATP synthesis

Cristae - inward projections of the inner membrane of the mitochondria, which are studded with

proteins and increase the surface area for chemical reactions to occur like cellular respiration.

 Anaerobic Cellular Respiration - process of generating energy by the oxidation of nutrients and

using an external electron acceptorother than oxygen

Glycolysis - breakdown of glucose

Mitochondria - an organelle found in large numbers in most cells, in which the biochemical

processes of respiration and energy production occur 

Fermentation - the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other 

microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat

Krebs Cycle - a series of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to generate energy

through the oxidation of acetate derived from carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon

dioxide and chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)