AP BIOLOGY EXAM TERMS
organic compounds - Answer- contain carbon; examples include lipids, proteins, and carbs
functional groups - Answer- amino (NH2), carbonyl (RCOR), carboxyl (COOH), hydroxyl (OH),
phosphate (PO4), sulfhydryl (SH)
fat - Answer- glycerol and three fatty acids
saturated fats - Answer- bad for you; animals and some plants have it; solidifies at room temp.
unsaturated fats - Answer- better for you, plants have it; liquifies at room temp.
steriods - Answer- lipids whose structures resemble chicken-wire fence. include cholesterol and
sex hormones
phospholipids - Answer- glycerol + 2 fatty acids + 1 phosphate group; makes up membrane
bilayers of cells; hydrophobic interiors and hydrophillic exteriors
carbohydrates - Answer- used by cells for energy and stucture; monosaccharides (glucose),
disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, lactose), storage polysaccharides (starch [plants], glycogen
[animals]), structural polysaccharides (chitin [fungi], cellulose [arthropods])
proteins - Answer- made with the help of ribosomes out of amino acids; serve many functions
(transport, enzymes, cell signals, receptor molecules, structural components, and channels)
enzymes - Answer- catalytic proteins that react in an induced-fit fashion with substrates to speed
up that rate of reactions by lowering the activation energy
competitve inhibtion - Answer- inhibitor resembles substrate and binds to active site
noncompetitive inhibition - Answer- inhibitor binds elsewhere on the enzyme; alters active site so
that the substrate cannot bind
pH - Answer- logarithmic scale; <7 acidic, 7 neutral, >7 basic (alkaline); 4 is 10 times more acidic
than 5
hydrolysis - Answer- breaks down compounds by adding water
dehydration - Answer- two components brought together, producing H2O
endergonic reaction - Answer- reaction that requires input of energy
exergonic reaction - Answer- reaction that gives off energy
redox - Answer- electron transfer reactions
cell wall - Answer- found in prokaryotes and plant cells eukaryotes; protects and shapes the cell
,plasma membrane - Answer- found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes; regulates what substances
enter and leave a cell
ribosome - Answer- found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes; host for protein synthesis; form in
nucleolus
smooth ER - Answer- found in eukaryotes; lipid synthesis, detoxification, carbohydrate
metabolism; contains no ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
rough ER - Answer- found in eukaryotes; synthesizes proteins to secrete or send to plasma
membrane; contains ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
Golgi - Answer- found in eukaryotes; modifies lipids, proteins to secrete or send to plasma
membrane; contains ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
mitochondria - Answer- found in eukaryotes; power plant of cell; hosts major energy-producing
steps of respiration
lysosome - Answer- found in eukaryotes; contains enzymes that digest organic compounds;
serves as cell's stomach
nucleus - Answer- found in eukaryotes; control center of cell; host for transcription, replication, and
DNA
peroxisome - Answer- found in eukaryotes; breakdown of fatty acids, detoxification of alcohol
chloroplast - Answer- found in plant cells eukaryotes; site of photosynthesis in plants
cytoskeleton - Answer- found in eukaryotes; skeleton of cell; consists of microtubules,
microfilaments, and intermediate filaments
vacuole - Answer- large in plant cells and small in animal cells; storage vaults of cells
centrioles - Answer- found in animal cells eukaryote; part of microtubule separation apparatus that
assits cell division in animal cells
fluid mosaic model - Answer- plasma membrane is selectively permeable phosolipid bilayer with
proteins of various lengths and sizes interspersed with cholesterol amoung the phospholipids
integral proteins - Answer- proteins implanted within lipid bilayer of plasma membrane
diffusion - Answer- passive movement of substances down their concentration gradient (from high
to low concentrations)
osmosis - Answer- passive movement of water from the side of low solute concentration to the
side of high solute concentration
facilitated diffusion - Answer- assisted transport of particles across membrane (no energy input)
, active transport - Answer- movement of substances against concentration gradient (low to high
concentrations; requires energy input)
endocytosis - Answer- phagocytosis of particles into cell through the use of vesicles
exocytosis - Answer- process by which particles are ejected from the cell, similar to movement in a
trash chute
aerobic respiration - Answer- glycolysis -> krebs cycle -> oxidative phosphorylation -> 36 ATP per
glucose molecule
anaerobic respiration (fermentation) - Answer- glycolysis -> regenerate NAD+ -> 2 ATP per
glucose molecule
glycolysis - Answer- conversion of 1 glucose molecule into 2 pyruvate, 2 ATP, and 2 NADH;
occurs in the cytoplasma, and in both aerobic and anaerobic respiration; must have NAD+ to
proceed
Krebs cycle - Answer- conversion 1 pyruvate molecule into 4 NADH, 1 FADH2, 1 ATP, H2O, and
CO2; occurs twice for each glucose to yeild double the products above; occurs in the mitochondria
oxidative phosphorylation - Answer- production of large amounts of ATP from NADH and FADH2;
occurs in the mitochrondria; requires the presence of oxygen to proceed
chemiosmosis - Answer- coupling of the movement of electrons down the ETC with the formation
of ATP using the driving force provided by the proton gradient; occurs in both cell respiration and
photosynthesis to produce ATP
ATP synthase - Answer- enzyme responsible for using protons to actually produce ATP from ADP
fermentation - Answer- process that regenerates NAD+ so glycolsis can begin again; occurs in
absence of oxygen
alcohol fermentation - Answer- occurs in fungi, yeast, and bacteria; causes conversion of pyruvate
to ethanol
lactic acid fermentation - Answer- occurs in humans and animal muscles; causes conversion of
pyruvate -> lactate; causes cramping sensation when oxygen runs low in muscles
photosynthesis - Answer- process by which plants use the energy from light to generate sugar;
occurs in chloroplasts; light reactions (thylakoid), and Calvin cycle (stroma)
autotroph - Answer- self-nourishing organism that is also known as a producer (plants)
heterotrophs - Answer- organisms that must consume other organisms to obtain energy--
consmers
transpiration - Answer- loss of water via evaporation through the stomata
photophosphorylation - Answer- process by which ATP is made during light reactions
organic compounds - Answer- contain carbon; examples include lipids, proteins, and carbs
functional groups - Answer- amino (NH2), carbonyl (RCOR), carboxyl (COOH), hydroxyl (OH),
phosphate (PO4), sulfhydryl (SH)
fat - Answer- glycerol and three fatty acids
saturated fats - Answer- bad for you; animals and some plants have it; solidifies at room temp.
unsaturated fats - Answer- better for you, plants have it; liquifies at room temp.
steriods - Answer- lipids whose structures resemble chicken-wire fence. include cholesterol and
sex hormones
phospholipids - Answer- glycerol + 2 fatty acids + 1 phosphate group; makes up membrane
bilayers of cells; hydrophobic interiors and hydrophillic exteriors
carbohydrates - Answer- used by cells for energy and stucture; monosaccharides (glucose),
disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, lactose), storage polysaccharides (starch [plants], glycogen
[animals]), structural polysaccharides (chitin [fungi], cellulose [arthropods])
proteins - Answer- made with the help of ribosomes out of amino acids; serve many functions
(transport, enzymes, cell signals, receptor molecules, structural components, and channels)
enzymes - Answer- catalytic proteins that react in an induced-fit fashion with substrates to speed
up that rate of reactions by lowering the activation energy
competitve inhibtion - Answer- inhibitor resembles substrate and binds to active site
noncompetitive inhibition - Answer- inhibitor binds elsewhere on the enzyme; alters active site so
that the substrate cannot bind
pH - Answer- logarithmic scale; <7 acidic, 7 neutral, >7 basic (alkaline); 4 is 10 times more acidic
than 5
hydrolysis - Answer- breaks down compounds by adding water
dehydration - Answer- two components brought together, producing H2O
endergonic reaction - Answer- reaction that requires input of energy
exergonic reaction - Answer- reaction that gives off energy
redox - Answer- electron transfer reactions
cell wall - Answer- found in prokaryotes and plant cells eukaryotes; protects and shapes the cell
,plasma membrane - Answer- found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes; regulates what substances
enter and leave a cell
ribosome - Answer- found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes; host for protein synthesis; form in
nucleolus
smooth ER - Answer- found in eukaryotes; lipid synthesis, detoxification, carbohydrate
metabolism; contains no ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
rough ER - Answer- found in eukaryotes; synthesizes proteins to secrete or send to plasma
membrane; contains ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
Golgi - Answer- found in eukaryotes; modifies lipids, proteins to secrete or send to plasma
membrane; contains ribosomes on cytoplasmic surface
mitochondria - Answer- found in eukaryotes; power plant of cell; hosts major energy-producing
steps of respiration
lysosome - Answer- found in eukaryotes; contains enzymes that digest organic compounds;
serves as cell's stomach
nucleus - Answer- found in eukaryotes; control center of cell; host for transcription, replication, and
DNA
peroxisome - Answer- found in eukaryotes; breakdown of fatty acids, detoxification of alcohol
chloroplast - Answer- found in plant cells eukaryotes; site of photosynthesis in plants
cytoskeleton - Answer- found in eukaryotes; skeleton of cell; consists of microtubules,
microfilaments, and intermediate filaments
vacuole - Answer- large in plant cells and small in animal cells; storage vaults of cells
centrioles - Answer- found in animal cells eukaryote; part of microtubule separation apparatus that
assits cell division in animal cells
fluid mosaic model - Answer- plasma membrane is selectively permeable phosolipid bilayer with
proteins of various lengths and sizes interspersed with cholesterol amoung the phospholipids
integral proteins - Answer- proteins implanted within lipid bilayer of plasma membrane
diffusion - Answer- passive movement of substances down their concentration gradient (from high
to low concentrations)
osmosis - Answer- passive movement of water from the side of low solute concentration to the
side of high solute concentration
facilitated diffusion - Answer- assisted transport of particles across membrane (no energy input)
, active transport - Answer- movement of substances against concentration gradient (low to high
concentrations; requires energy input)
endocytosis - Answer- phagocytosis of particles into cell through the use of vesicles
exocytosis - Answer- process by which particles are ejected from the cell, similar to movement in a
trash chute
aerobic respiration - Answer- glycolysis -> krebs cycle -> oxidative phosphorylation -> 36 ATP per
glucose molecule
anaerobic respiration (fermentation) - Answer- glycolysis -> regenerate NAD+ -> 2 ATP per
glucose molecule
glycolysis - Answer- conversion of 1 glucose molecule into 2 pyruvate, 2 ATP, and 2 NADH;
occurs in the cytoplasma, and in both aerobic and anaerobic respiration; must have NAD+ to
proceed
Krebs cycle - Answer- conversion 1 pyruvate molecule into 4 NADH, 1 FADH2, 1 ATP, H2O, and
CO2; occurs twice for each glucose to yeild double the products above; occurs in the mitochondria
oxidative phosphorylation - Answer- production of large amounts of ATP from NADH and FADH2;
occurs in the mitochrondria; requires the presence of oxygen to proceed
chemiosmosis - Answer- coupling of the movement of electrons down the ETC with the formation
of ATP using the driving force provided by the proton gradient; occurs in both cell respiration and
photosynthesis to produce ATP
ATP synthase - Answer- enzyme responsible for using protons to actually produce ATP from ADP
fermentation - Answer- process that regenerates NAD+ so glycolsis can begin again; occurs in
absence of oxygen
alcohol fermentation - Answer- occurs in fungi, yeast, and bacteria; causes conversion of pyruvate
to ethanol
lactic acid fermentation - Answer- occurs in humans and animal muscles; causes conversion of
pyruvate -> lactate; causes cramping sensation when oxygen runs low in muscles
photosynthesis - Answer- process by which plants use the energy from light to generate sugar;
occurs in chloroplasts; light reactions (thylakoid), and Calvin cycle (stroma)
autotroph - Answer- self-nourishing organism that is also known as a producer (plants)
heterotrophs - Answer- organisms that must consume other organisms to obtain energy--
consmers
transpiration - Answer- loss of water via evaporation through the stomata
photophosphorylation - Answer- process by which ATP is made during light reactions
