| A | B |
|---|
| bioenergetics | the study of energy flow (energy transformations) into and within living systems |
| macromolecule | a group of biomacromolecules that interact with biological systems and their environments |
| carbohydrate | a macromolecule that contains atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ration and serves as a major source of energy for living organisms (eg. sugars, starches and cellulose) |
| cellular respiration | a 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 molecules (ATP) |
| energy transformation | a process in which energy changes from one form to another form while some of the energy is lost to the environment |
| photosynthesis | a process in which solar radiation is chemically captured by chlorophyll molecules through a set of controlled chemical reactions resulting in the potential chemical energy in the bonds of carbohydrate molecules |
| organic molecule | a molecule containing carbon that is part of or produced by living systems |
| producer | an organism that uses a primary energy source to conduct photosynthesis or chemosynthesis |
| consumer | an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms or their remains |
| food chain | a simplified path illustrating the passing of potential chemical energy (food) from one organism to another organism |
| food web | a complex arrangement of interrelated food chains illustrating the flow of energy between interdependent organisms |
| decomposer | an organism that obtains nutrients by consuming dead and decaying organic matter which allows nutrients to be accessible to other organisms |
| adenosine triphosphate | a molecule that provides energy for cellular reactions and processes; releases energy when one of its high energy bonds is broken to release a phosphate group |
| chloroplast | an organelle found in plant cells and the cells of other eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms where photosynthesis occurs |
| energy pyramid | a model that illustrates the biomass productivity at multiple trophic levels in a given ecosystem |
| mitochondrion | a membrane-bound organelle found in most eukaryotic cells; site of cellular respiration |
| plastids | a group of membrane bound organelles commonly found in photosynthetic organisms and mainly responsible for the synthesis and storage of food |
| trophic level | the position of an organism in relation to the flow of energy and inorganic nutrients through an ecosystem |
